As Data Centers Spread, Cities Fight to Keep Up
Still, developers are finding ways to move ahead outside local jurisdiction.
WASHINGTON, August 10, 2026 – Across the country, local governments are discovering that zoning codes written before the data center boom often have no way to account for facilities. Now, officials are playing catch-up.
Aurora, Illinois, didn’t have a category for data centers in its zoning code. So for years, it treated them like warehouses. That meant new data centers were approved administratively, by right, with no public hearing and no review distinct from a building full of pallets.
