Colleton County SC ACE Basin data center exclusion area (settlement)
Colleton County, SC — Lawsuit Settlement Creates a 'Data Center Exclusion Area' Covering Most of the ACE Basin (Announced October 2026; Map Goes to Planning Commission and Council)
Colleton County, SC · Settlement, Singleton & Crosby v. Colleton County (SELC), Data Center Exclusion Area (Oct. 2026)
- Status
- Proposed / pending
- Applies to
- Data center developers in Colleton County, SC
- Enforced by
- Colleton County Council; Colleton County Planning Commission
To settle a lawsuit by two landowners, Colleton County agreed to create a 'Data Center Exclusion Area' where data centers would be prohibited, covering most of the county's share of the ACE Basin (about 62% of the county, per SELC). The map still has to go through the planning commission and county council to become part of the comprehensive plan.
Who is protected: Colleton County, SC residents and the ACE Basin
Legal detail
Settlement of Singleton & Crosby v. Colleton County (filed January 2026 by SELC; challenged zoning changes allowing Zoning Board of Appeals approval of data centers in rural areas). Terms reported: Data Center Exclusion Area covering ecologically sensitive areas along the Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto rivers, including the 850-acre Ashepoo headwaters parcel where the Eagle Rock data center complex was proposed in December 2025; SELC gets an advisory role. Context: county adopted a moratorium on data center approvals in July 2026 (lawsuit paused six months), then approved a Digital Infrastructure Overlay District and partially repealed the moratorium west of I-95 and in industrial areas. NOT ESTABLISHED: settlement signing date, case number, adoption dates.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Colleton County, SC |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Citation | Settlement, Singleton & Crosby v. Colleton County (SELC), Data Center Exclusion Area (Oct. 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | Settlement bans data center development across most of Colleton County's ACE Basin — Live 5 News (Oct. 5, 2026) |
More AI rules in Colleton County, SC
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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