Newtown Township PA proposed data center ordinance (2026)
Newtown Township (Delaware County), PA — Proposed Data Center Zoning Ordinance Confining Data Centers to the Light Industrial District, Recommended by the Planning Commission (September 2026)
Newtown Township, PA · Newtown Township, Pa., proposed data center zoning ordinance (2026)
- Status
- Proposed / pending
- Applies to
- Prospective data center developers in Newtown Township
- Enforced by
- Newtown Township; Board of Supervisors
Newtown Township in Delaware County is drafting zoning rules for data centers even though none are proposed there. The draft would allow data centers only in the township's light industrial district and, after county review, adds requirements such as scaling back operations when power is scarce, environmental and sound studies, closed-loop water cooling, decommissioning standards and a 100-hour annual limit on generator use. The Planning Commission recommended it unanimously; residents argued it is too weak. It goes back to the county and then to the Board of Supervisors.
Who is protected: Newtown Township residents
Legal detail
Newtown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania — proposed zoning ordinance regulating data centers (under 20 pages per residents' group). Siting: light industrial district only (about 12 acres per a resident). Changes incorporated from Delaware County Planning Department review: curtailment requirement when power is at a premium; further defined environmental impact studies incl. an additional sound study and pure-tone noise information; closed-loop water cooling or similar; decommissioning and equipment recycling/structure removal standards; generator use limited to 100 hours/year. Solicitor Sokorai: no data center applications pending or anticipated; ordinance intended to avoid exclusionary-zoning exposure. Planning Commission recommended unanimously at 'Thursday's' meeting (article published Saturday Sept. 26, 2026, so Thursday = Sept. 24); next: county re-review, then Board of Supervisors. Residents' group Newtown-Edgmont Alliance for Responsible Growth seeks a Chadds Ford-style ordinance (renewable energy, water monitoring, noise, lighting, emergency response, enforcement). NOT ESTABLISHED: ordinance number, hearing dates, setbacks.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Newtown Township, PA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Citation | Newtown Township, Pa., proposed data center zoning ordinance (2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Not stated in the located source |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | Back-and-forth continues over proposed Newtown data center ordinance — Delaware County Daily Times |
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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