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Allegheny County Council

Proposed ban would keep data centers off county-owned property.

Written by Amy Whipple

A majority of Allegheny County Council members have agreed they want the county not to allow data centers on county-owned land.

Members said they are worried about soaring water and electricity use. The legislation, introduced during the Aug. 25 meeting, would prohibit data centers — buildings occupied primarily by computers and related equipment where digital information is processed, transferred and stored — on county-owned property.

It also seeks to prohibit using county-owned property for data center accessory use, which includes generators, water holding and security features.

“The public is concerned about rising electricity rates caused by data centers. They are concerned about the enormous water use that data centers require,” said University of Michigan public policy professor Ben Green, as quoted in the legislation. Green added that a proposed data center near Ann Arbor, estimated to be over 2 million square feet, would use as much energy as one million households.

According to Clean Energy Group, also cited in the legislation, Meta requested 5.6 million gallons of water per day to cool its 10-million-square-foot data center in Louisiana.

If passed, the ordinance would only apply to county-owned property. Under Pennsylvania law, zoning regulations fall to municipalities. Springdale Borough Council voted in favor of a proposed center last year and, earlier this summer, Oakmont Council passed preventative regulations.

 Council referred the legislation to the sustainability committee.

Connections to this story

Governments:
Allegheny County Council
Public meetings:
County Council · August 25, 2026
Sources:
Ordinance 14044-26 — amending and supplementing Part 7 of the Administrative Code of Allegheny County, entitled “Properties,” through the…

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