Newly Proposed Data Center Zoning Ordinances
Published on February 23, 2026
The City of Aurora’s Planning and Zoning Commission moved to continue a public hearing on newly proposed data center zoning ordinances at its February 18 meeting. The Commission chose to keep the public hearing open through its next meeting on March 4 at 7 P.M., providing commissioners with more time to review the regulations and allowing residents to offer additional feedback on the City’s plan to manage future data center development.
The review of new ordinances surrounding data center development in Aurora comes as the City’s 180-day temporary moratorium on new data center facilities is set to expire on March 24. Officials hosted an open house event on February 12 to engage community members on the proposed ordinance modifications, plus revealed new processes and procedures that would regulate data center construction moving forward.
The City’s current moratorium, enacted on September 25, 2025, was designed to provide City staff with the opportunity to research national best practices and safeguards implemented through zoning ordinances and building codes, study the environmental, stormwater, and utility impacts of data centers, assess lasting fiscal impacts, develop potential zoning or performance standards, and create a definition for data centers in the City’s Code of Ordinances. This temporary pause has helped staff generate clear rules surrounding data center development that protects residents and businesses, guides developers when proposing future projects, and ensures long-term community sustainability.
The newly proposed ordinances include updates on zoning standards surrounding data centers throughout City limits, plus establishes a formal definition for data centers within the City’s Code of Ordinances. The proposed ordinance states that should a data center express interest in coming to Aurora, the developer must enter a development agreement with the City to adhere to all regulations and performance standards. Developers must submit a baseline pre-development sound study, a noise modeling study, a water consumption and quality modeling report completed by a third-part engineer, and an energy consumption modeling report. Future data centers would also need to be designed to meet noise standards, vibrations standards, energy usage standards, and water usage standards. Additionally, all new or expanded data centers will need to install and operate either on-site renewable energy generation techniques, or on-site resilience storage procedures.
The proposal has begun at the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission, and will go before the Rules, Administration, and Procedures Committee on March 3. From there, the City's Building, Zoning, and Economic Development Committee will also engage in a discussion on the proposed ordinances on March 11, with additional deliberation to take place at the March 18 Rules, Administration, and Procedures Committee meeting and the Committee of the Whole Meeting. Should the Committee of the Whole move the proposal forward, the Aurora City Council would vote on the new regulations during the March 24 City Council meeting. Please refer to the table above, which helps further depict the timeline surrounding the proposed ordinances.
*Please be advised that this schedule may change and items could be held at a specific commission or committee.
Residents are invited to provide feedback at each of these meetings, or through a brief survey. Residents’ voices will help inform staff members, Commissioners, and City Council members on finalizing new, improved requirements surrounding data center development in the future.