Guidance, model ordinances, and strong adopted examples for Pennsylvania counties and municipalities that are writing or updating data center rules. The list includes resources written from different perspectives, so officials can compare them.
These resources are for reference and are not legal advice. Work with your solicitor and your county planning commission, which reviews municipal zoning amendments under the Municipalities Planning Code, before adopting any ordinance. Listing a resource here is not an endorsement.
Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, 2026
The Commonwealth’s guide for local officials who receive a data center proposal, covering location drivers, infrastructure capacity, fiscal impacts, zoning, and legal considerations.
Penn State Center for Energy Law and Policy, September 2026
A curated index of Pennsylvania guidance, model ordinances, adopted examples, and community benefits agreement resources.
Penn State Extension
Plain-language answers about what data centers are, what they need, and the questions communities most often raise.
Planning agencies, advocacy groups, and industry have each published models. Reading more than one shows where they agree and where they differ.
Chester County and Montgomery County Planning Commissions, April 2026
A planning-agency guide with recommended ordinance language. Much of the template language in recently adopted southeastern Pennsylvania ordinances traces to it.
PennFuture (environmental advocacy), with a companion community toolkit
A complete model ordinance with commentary, built from a review of ordinances already adopted. Many township drafts in this tracker are based on it.
Tri-County Regional Planning Commission (Dauphin, Cumberland, and Perry Counties)
A regional planning model written for municipalities in the Harrisburg area, usable as a starting draft anywhere in the state.
York County Planning Commission
The county planning commission’s model, used as the base for several York and Perry County drafts.
Erie County, March 2026
A county-prepared draft model offered to Erie County municipalities.
Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania (health advocacy), 2025
A model that treats data centers and cryptocurrency mines together, with an emphasis on noise, air, and health protections.
Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry (industry), July 2026
The industry-side model. It shows the language an applicant’s attorney is likely to propose, which is useful to compare against the models above.
The ten highest-rated adopted municipal ordinances in the tracker, rated against the 104-point Tracker Standard. Select a municipality to see its full entry and rating.
| Municipality | Ordinance | Core Protections | Points | Text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Whiteland TownshipChester County | No. 385-2026 | 9 of 10 | 76 | Read |
| Chadds Ford TownshipDelaware County | No. 184 | 9 of 10 | 67 | Read |
| Ransom TownshipLackawanna County | Ordinance 3 of 2026 | 9 of 10 | 64 | Read |
| Uwchlan TownshipChester County | No. 2026-08 | 7 of 10 | 62 | Read |
| Lower Salford TownshipMontgomery County | No. 2026-07 | 8 of 10 | 60 | Read |
| Throop BoroughLackawanna County | No. 3 Of 2026 | 9 of 10 | 59 | Read |
| Delaware TownshipPike County | Amendment To Ordinance 110 | 8 of 10 | 59 | Read |
| Greene TownshipBeaver County | No. 3-2026 | 9 of 10 | 57 | Read |
| Dallas TownshipLuzerne County | No. 3 Of 2026 | 8 of 10 | 57 | Read |
| Smithfield TownshipMonroe County | No. 268 | 8 of 10 | 57 | Read |
The strongest drafts now under review:
| Municipality | Status | Core Protections | Points | Text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Brandywine TownshipChester County | Draft | 9 of 10 | 74 | Read |
| Honey Brook TownshipChester County | Draft | 9 of 10 | 72 | Read |
| Reading CityBerks County | Draft | 9 of 10 | 66 | Read |
| East Marlborough TownshipChester County | Draft | 8 of 10 | 65 | Read |
| Damascus TownshipWayne County | Draft | 8 of 10 | 58 | Read |
Counties can act in two ways: a county zoning or stand-alone ordinance, or data center standards in the county subdivision and land development ordinance, which apply wherever a municipality has no ordinance of its own.
Adopted February 10, 2026 · Rated 40 of 104
A stand-alone county data center ordinance applied by 24 municipalities, with a 1,000-foot setback from homes and required closed-loop cooling. The county also publishes a planning FAQ.
County subdivision and land development standards · Rated 45 of 104
Data center standards added to the county subdivision ordinance, which apply wherever a municipality has no subdivision ordinance of its own, including a 750-foot setback from homes and closed-loop cooling.
County subdivision and land development standards · Rated 34 of 104
Data center standards in the county subdivision ordinance, which several Mercer County municipalities rely on.
County Ordinances 1-2026 and 2-2026 · Rated 58 of 104
Montour County zoning applies in townships without their own zoning. Its 2026 amendments allow data centers only as a conditional use in the Industrial District, approved by the county Commissioners after a hearing.
Draft · Rated 39 of 104 as drafted
A countywide draft that would apply in every Somerset County municipality, with a 1,000-foot setback from homes, a 57 dBA noise limit, and required closed-loop cooling.
Delaware, Mifflin, and Lancaster Counties
Delaware County’s land use guidance on impacts and public safety, Mifflin County’s planning and guidance document, and Lancaster County’s review of a township amendment, which shows what a county reviewer looks for.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The law that governs local zoning. A zoning ordinance must allow every lawful use somewhere, so an ordinance that is silent on data centers can be challenged. A municipality that finds its own ordinance deficient may declare it invalid and enact a municipal curative amendment under Section 609.2, as several Pennsylvania municipalities did in 2026.
Signed July 12, 2026
The fiscal code act that added annual energy and water use reporting by data centers to the Department of Environmental Protection.
Columbia Law School Sabin Center; City of Lancaster
A database of community benefits agreements, and the City of Lancaster’s draft agreement for a data center project.
National and out-of-state resources
Data Center Census tracks adopted rules in other states, Georgia Tech compares Georgia ordinances by theme, and the AI Now Institute offers a local policy toolkit.
Data Center Census · Georgia Tech hub · AI Now local toolkit
Resources were last checked on October 7, 2026. To suggest a resource, use Submit a Correction.