Data center regulations in Virginia evolved further with the veto session of the 2025 Legislative Session, March 24, 2025. Gov. Glenn Youngkin elected to not sign HB 1601/SB 1449 — which would require data center site...more
At its March 18, 2025, business meeting, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted 7-2 to approve a Zoning Ordinance amendment making data centers a special exception use in zoning districts in which they were previously...more
Understanding the history of data centers in Virginia provides insight into how the General Assembly may manage the industry going forward, says McGuireWoods Consulting senior vice president Preston Bryant in an article...more
The Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) released its report on data centers in Virginia on Dec. 9, 2024. During the 2024 Virginia General Assembly session, numerous bills were put forward that could...more
On Sept. 10, 2024, the Fairfax County, Virginia Board of Supervisors approved a zoning ordinance amendment that creates new restrictions for data centers. The amended ordinance permits by-right data center development in...more
Demand for data center development opportunities remains at unprecedented levels across Virginia. But how the industry is regulated by Virginia’s diverse cities and counties is not uniform....more
Loudoun County, Va., joins a growing number of northern Virginia jurisdictions taking affirmative steps to restrict data center development. As the first part of a two-phase process, the board of supervisors voted to advance...more
Fairfax County, Virginia, recently released draft zoning ordinance text amendments to provide new regulations for data centers within the county. A link to the draft zoning ordinance amendments may be found here....more
On March 19, 2024, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors directed Department of Planning and Development staff to update the county zoning ordinance with additional regulatory guidance for data center development. It is...more
Over the past year, local governments in Northern Virginia — including Fairfax County, Fauquier County, Caroline County and Spotsylvania County — have taken steps to enact, or begin the process of enacting, new and generally...more
Fairfax County, Virginia, recently released updated recommendations for data center development in the county, including potential changes to the comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance standards for data center development....more
The Fauquier County Board of Supervisors adopted guidelines to control new data center developments on Dec. 14, 2023. The policy is the product of collaboration between the county’s planning staff and a committee that met in...more
The growing demand for data center space in Virginia increasingly has led the industry to locations outside northern Virginia. As a result, many central Virginia jurisdictions recently revised their planning and zoning...more
Like many Virginia jurisdictions, Fairfax County is reevaluating how it regulates data centers. As part of the zMOD readoption, the Board of Supervisors authorized an evaluation of Fairfax County’s comprehensive plan and...more
On July 11, 2023, the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors approved amendments to the county’s comprehensive plan to incorporate long-term planning goals for data center uses....more
As highlighted in McGuireWoods’ May 10, 2023, alert, Fairfax County is undertaking a review of its data center regulations. On July 18, 2023, the Fairfax County Land Use Policy Committee added data centers to the FY 2024...more
On April 12, 2023, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced it has officially withdrawn a proposal for a variance to a state law regarding the use of diesel generators as backup power for data centers...more
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is considering issuing an order and local variance for data centers located in Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties. The DEQ is sponsoring and hosting an open...more
At its business meeting on Sept. 20, 2022, the Loudoun County Board moved forward with staff directives to amend Zoning Ordinance and Comprehensive Plan language to change regulations and policies affecting data center...more
The commonwealth of Virginia plans to reset how data center equipment, fixtures and supporting supplies are taxed throughout the state. Given that Northern Virginia, also known as Data Center Alley, is home to the largest...more
As 2022 unfolds, data centers continue to be a critical component of forward progress for tech-related cloud services, 5G, construction, infrastructure, real estate, energy and other industries, while also trying to...more
Loudoun County staff and the Loudoun County Economic Development Authority will present recommendations to significantly alter how data centers are developed in the county. The presentation, scheduled for the Transportation...more
On May 18, 2021, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors took action to authorize a consultant study to evaluate expanding the existing Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District generally along high transmission...more
A new zoning ordinance ( adopted by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on March 23, 2021, significantly changes data center development in Fairfax County, Virginia. The ordinance includes a new definition and specific...more