Chester County SC data center pause (2026)
Chester County, SC — Ordinance No. 2026-14 Temporary Countywide Pause on Data Center Applications
Chester County, SC · Chester County, S.C. Ordinance No. 2026-14
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- June 15, 2026
- Applies to
- All Chester County officials, employees, boards and commissions, who may not accept, process or approve any Data Center Development application; and any applicant seeking such approvals in the unincorporated area.
Ordinance No. 2026-14 bars any Chester County official, employee, board or commission from accepting, processing or approving any application for a Data Center Development. Section 2 defines that term to include rezonings, planned developments, text or map amendments, special exceptions, variances, subdivisions, site plans, land development, utility and building permit approvals for data centers, server farms, colocation facilities, cryptocurrency or digital asset mining operations, and artificial intelligence computing facilities. Section 4 directs planning staff and outside experts to prepare use-specific standards covering permitted districts, separation, setbacks, screening, buffering, electric and water adequacy, noise limits, and decommissioning and financial assurance. Section 9 adopts the pending ordinance doctrine, applies the ordinance from first reading, and terminates it on the earlier of repeal or 2026-12-31 unless extended.
Who is protected: Residents and property owners of unincorporated Chester County, by pausing approvals until use-specific data center standards are prepared.
Legal detail
Adopted on third reading 2026-07-20 following a public hearing the same meeting; first reading 2026-06-15, which Section 9 makes the operative date under the pending ordinance doctrine. Section 5 applies the ordinance uniformly throughout the UNINCORPORATED area only — municipalities within Chester County are not covered. Recitals rely on S.C. Code Ann. § 4-9-25 and the South Carolina Local Government Comprehensive Planning Enabling Act of 1994, S.C. Code Ann. § 6-29-310 et seq., and cite Sherman v. Reavis, Stratos v. Town of Ravenel, Hospitality Ass'n of S.C. v. County of Charleston, and the South Carolina Energy Security Act, Act No. 41 of 2025.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Chester County, SC |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | July 20, 2026 |
| Citation | Chester County, S.C. Ordinance No. 2026-14 |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| Statute | Chester County Council Agenda Packet, 2026-07-20, Ordinance No. 2026-14 (full text) |
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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