Nashville Permanent Data Center Zoning (500k sq ft cap + BZA approval)
Metro Nashville Permanent Data Center Zoning Restrictions — 500,000 Sq Ft Cap + Heavy-Industrial Requirement (July 21, 2026)
Nashville, TN · Metro Nashville-Davidson County, permanent data center zoning ordinance (adopted July 21, 2026; 500k sq ft cap + heavy-industrial + BZA special exception)
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- July 21, 2026
- Applies to
- Data center developers and operators seeking new permits or rezonings in Davidson County / Metro Nashville
- Enforced by
- Metro Nashville Board of Zoning Appeals; Metro Nashville Planning Department; Codes Administration
Nashville's Metro Council enacted permanent data center zoning restrictions on July 21, 2026 — Davidson County's first-ever data center land-use rules. The ordinance bans data centers over 500,000 square feet anywhere in the county. Data centers under that threshold must be located in heavy-industrial (HI) zones and must obtain a special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals after a public hearing. The rules were driven by a proposed data center adjacent to the Nashville Zoo and by the largest public-comment turnout in Metro Council history. A companion temporary moratorium (until December 1, 2026) was enacted the same night. Mayor Freddie O'Connell separately advanced eminent-domain legislation to acquire the Zoo-adjacent DC Blox parcel.
Who is protected: Davidson County residents, especially those near proposed data center sites
Legal detail
Ordinance adopted unanimously July 21, 2026 (companion to moratorium ordinance enacted same night). Requirements: (1) data centers exceeding 500,000 sq ft are prohibited countywide; (2) data centers under 500,000 sq ft must be sited in heavy-industrial (HI) zoning districts; (3) any data center regardless of size requires a Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) special exception with a public hearing before approval. The companion temporary moratorium (Nashville Data Center Moratorium (effective through Dec 1, 2026)) runs through December 1, 2026. Mayor O'Connell's eminent-domain bill to acquire the Zoo-adjacent DC Blox parcel also advanced. Nashville is one of the first major US cities to enact permanent categorical data center size limits.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Nashville, TN |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | July 21, 2026 |
| Citation | Metro Nashville-Davidson County, permanent data center zoning ordinance (adopted July 21, 2026; 500k sq ft cap + heavy-industrial + BZA special exception) |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | Metro Council unanimously passes data center regulations and temporary moratorium — Fox17 |
More AI rules in Nashville, TN
- DC Blox v. Metro Nashville data center moratorium suit · Blocked / in litigation
- Nashville Surveillance Equipment Council-Approval Ordinance (Metro Code 13.08.080) · In effect
- Metro Nashville GenAI Policy · In effect
- Nashville Data Center Moratorium (effective through Dec 1, 2026) · In effect
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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