Data Center and Warehouse Moratorium

On September 25th, 2025, Aurora City Council enacted a 180-day moratorium(PDF, 282KB) on new data center and warehouse developments. This temporary pause is designed to give City staff time to:

• Research national best practices and safeguards implemented through zoning ordinances and building codes

• Study the environmental, stormwater, and utility impacts of data centers and warehouses

• Assess fiscal impacts, including long-term service and infrastructure costs

• Develop potential zoning or performance standards

• Report findings and recommendations to the Rules, Administration, and Procedure Committee, and the Building, Zoning, and Economic Development Committee within three months

• Create a definition for data centers and other special use types of warehouses if needed

Why Enact A Moratorium?

A moratorium is a planning tool that will give the City time to set fair, responsible rules that protect residents, support developers, and ensure that future projects are a good fit for our community.

Currently, Aurora’s zoning ordinance and building codes do not include specific standards for data center developments and instead classify them as warehouses. These facilities have unique neighborhood and environmental impacts — including noise, emissions, high energy and water use, stormwater management challenges, utility demand, infrastructure strain, and long-term fiscal considerations. City staff have responded to multiple complaints from data center neighbors, demonstrating that our current policies do not adequately address these issues.

Thankfully, planning professionals and zoning agencies across the country are beginning to address neighborhood impacts of data centers in new and more effective ways — approaches that are not yet reflected in Aurora’s current ordinance. By studying these emerging best practices, we can identify and recommend updates that better protect our residents and neighborhoods. This review will help strengthen the City’s ordinances and reduce legal vulnerability. By taking this pause, the City is:

• Creating clear rules that protect residents and businesses

• Giving developers certainty and confidence when proposing projects

• Ensuring long-term sustainability and livability for the community

Development Can Still Happen

This moratorium is about smart planning, not stopping growth. During the moratorium, there are two pathways for projects that want to proceed:

1. Conditional Processing of New Applications. Applications can still be submitted during the moratorium, but final approval will wait until it ends, new rules are in place, and the City verifies that the proposal meets all new regulations. Applicants proceed at their own risk.

2. Hardship Appeal Process. Developers that were in the process of submitting applications may request to move forward under current regulations if they demonstrate a hardship and receive approval.

Questions about data center and warehouse developments during the moratorium can be directed here.

Moratorium Hardship Appeal Form(PDF, 962KB)

Next Steps

Data center development is not just a concern in Aurora. The City will be taking a local, regional, and statewide approach to understanding and enacting best practices. The City is creating a staff task force to research and provide recommendations on next steps, and will be conducting outreach with various related sectors and municipalities.

Get Involved

Community input will help shape policies that balance economic development with environmental and quality-of-life protections. Your voice is essential in ensuring development benefits everyone.