McLean County Data Center Rules
McLean County, IL Zoning Text Amendment Adding Data Center Requirements
McLean County, IL · McLean County, Ill., zoning text amendment (adopted June 11, 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- June 11, 2026
- Applies to
- Data center developers seeking county zoning approval
- Enforced by
- McLean County Department of Building and Zoning
McLean County, Illinois — home to large planned data center campuses near Bloomington-Normal — adopted stricter zoning rules for data centers on June 11, 2026. Facility owners must identify and address impacts to roads, emergency services, and utilities; document planned water use, sources, groundwater effects, and wastewater handling; monitor and document electricity consumption; provide specialized training or equipment for the local fire protection district; and file a decommissioning plan with costs for restoring the site when the data center closes.
Who is protected: Residents of unincorporated McLean County near data center sites
Legal detail
Zoning ordinance text amendment (adopted June 11, 2026, consent agenda) adding approval requirements for data center developments in unincorporated McLean County: infrastructure/public-services impact identification and mitigation, water-use and wastewater documentation including groundwater impacts, electricity consumption monitoring, fire-district training/equipment provision, and decommissioning plans. Officials called it among the strongest data-center regulation sets in Central Illinois; stops short of the six-month moratoriums adopted by Bloomington and Normal.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | McLean County, IL |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | June 11, 2026 |
| Citation | McLean County, Ill., zoning text amendment (adopted June 11, 2026) |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | McLean County Board approves restrictive data center zoning requirements — WGLT |
Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere
- Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Dane County WI Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- Madison WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Manitowoc County WI Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Dayton OH data center moratorium (180-day, Apr 2026) · In effect
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