Item:
Title
Public Hearing - To Consider the Adoption of a Proposed Moratorium on the Acceptance and Processing of Applications for New or Expanded Data Centers, with potential exemptions, with Durham County (90min)
Body
Date of BOCC Meeting: August 24, 2026
Request for Board Action:
Agenda Text
The Board of County Commissioners will be holding a public hearing considering the adoption of a moratorium on the acceptance and processing of applications for new or expanded data centers in Durham County. Large-scale data centers, data processing facilities, cryptocurrency mining operations, and similar uses can require significant electricity and water resources and may have impacts on infrastructure, the environment, and surrounding communities. As data centers have expanded across the state and nation, some jurisdictions have enacted temporary moratoria on new or expanded facilities.
Durham County's existing regulations were not developed with these specific types of high-impact uses in mind. The County needs time to develop appropriate, comprehensive standards to ensure that any future development, and expansion of any such facilities, is consistent with the County's long-term land use plan and protects the public's health and interests. The table of permitted uses in the current Unified Development Ordinance does not define "data centers," "data processing facilities," "cryptocurrency mining operations," or any other uses associated with data processing facilities.
Additionally, the Durham Code of Ordinances does not consider the impact of the aforementioned uses on existing County infrastructure. Some data centers are already located in Durham, but the impact of their continued development and expansion is not yet regulated. A temporary moratorium on accepting and processing new applications for such facilities is a reasonable and necessary measure to allow County staff and the Planning & Development Department sufficient time to study the issues, enga...
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