What good rules look like
What a good data center ordinance asks for
An ordinance is a local law. A strong one can make a data center a better neighbor, or send it somewhere else. Science for Georgia, a Georgia nonprofit run by Dr. Amy Sharma, wrote a sample one. Here is what it asks for, next to what Statesboro's rule says today.
The short version
- The sample ordinance is a template for any Georgia city or county. It is free, and its authors say it is for reference and has not been checked against any local code.
- Statesboro's rule (Ordinance 2026-01) covers some of the same ground, but leaves out several protections the sample includes: a funded cleanup bond, a night noise limit, and public yearly reports.
- The sample leaves the setback and height numbers blank. Each town has to choose its own. That is where neighbors have a say.
Side by side
Statesboro's column is from the version of Ordinance 2026-01 ↗ in the June 2, 2026 City Council packet. We are confirming that nothing changed when it was adopted.
| Topic | Science for Georgia sample ↗ | Statesboro today |
|---|---|---|
| Cleanup when it closes | A bond or escrow equal to the cost of removing everything and cleaning the site, set by an independent engineer, reviewed over time. The county can use it if the company walks away. Added penalty of 10% of the bond if the county has to call it. | A decommissioning plan or a bond or escrow. A plan alone is enough. A permit ends 12 months after use stops, measured by "utility consumption." |
| Power | A written statement from the power company that the grid can serve the project without hurting other customers' cost, reliability or safety. A plan for any new transmission lines. | The ordinance says a "letter of preliminary acceptance may be issued." It does not require a capacity letter, a service agreement, or the size of the load. |
| Noise limits | Night (9 PM to 7 AM): 40 dBA, or 10 above the background, and 65 dBC. Day: 50 dBA, or 10 above, and 70 dBC. Within 500 feet of homes, churches, daycares, parks, schools: 50 dBC at the property line. | One limit: 50 dBA and 70 dBC, or the existing noise, "whichever is greater." No separate night limit. |
| Noise study | Day and night baselines at the nearest home, low and high tones, infrasound, a map, and a plan for testing for the life of the project. | See our Noise page. The builder's test was one weekday afternoon. |
| Neighbors' wells | Offer a free water test to every owner within a quarter mile, by certified mail, a month before equipment goes in. Test the river or creek before and after. | Not in the ordinance as we read it. |
| Public meetings | Two community meetings, at least 14 days apart, 5 to 8 PM, with a decision-maker from the company there. Mailed notice to everyone within 5,000 feet, plus a sign on the land. | Not in the ordinance as we read it. |
| Yearly public report | Every December 31: power use, water use, wastewater, waste heat, taxes paid, air permits and noise results. | Not in the ordinance as we read it. |
| Backup generators | Batteries first, enough for four hours. Generators only in a power outage. Cleanest class (EPA Tier IV). Tests twice a month per unit, 30 minutes, noon to 5 PM on weekdays. | See our Generators page. |
| Cooling water | No evaporative cooling that replaces more than 10% of its water in a year. Closed-loop preferred. A full water plan, a drought plan, and testing for the life of the project. | Requires closed-loop or recycled water. Has a water plan. |
| Crypto mining | Banned. | Left out of the definition of a data center. Not banned. |
| Where it can go | Only on land zoned industrial. At least 25 acres. No more than 50 acres torn up at once. A fence at least 8 feet tall, shielded lights, and a leafy buffer where it meets homes or roads. | Requires a special use permit. See our open questions. |
The blanks are where neighbors matter
The sample says buildings must be set back "at least [X] feet" from property lines and from homes, schools and churches, and must be no taller than "[X] feet." It also leaves the amount of diesel allowed on site blank. Those numbers are the town's to choose, and they decide how close a data center can get to a house.
Science for Georgia's noise survey of people who live near data centers and crypto mines found 83% could hear it inside their home (survey ↗), and the share was about 76% even at more than half a mile away. A common recommended buffer is 500 feet, about a tenth of a mile. It was a small survey (103 people) and is not yet peer reviewed, so take it as a warning, not a measurement. More on the Research page.
Other places to look
- Bryan County has no data center rule at all, and still keeps them out. On June 29, 2026, its Community Development Director wrote that "Data Center is not listed in our permitted use table," so they are "prohibited in unincorporated Bryan County." This comes from an email released to us under the Georgia Open Records Act (October 6, 2026), which we can share on request.
- Bulloch County has a pause through 2026, a tabled ban, and a new committee. See our Bulloch County page.
- Georgia law: Senate Bill 421, the "Data Center Transparency Act," would stop local governments from using secret agreements (NDAs) to hide a data center's water and power use. As of May 2026 it was waiting in committee (UGA Extension ↗).
Read the originals
- The sample ordinance (16 pages, August 2026) ↗
- An explanation of each piece ↗
- "Making Good Neighbors" one-page handout ↗
- Science for Georgia's main data center page ↗
We link to Science for Georgia's own files instead of copying them, so you always get their latest version.
Would the City add a funded cleanup bond, a night noise limit, a power capacity letter, public meetings with mailed notice, free well testing for nearby neighbors, and yearly public reports as conditions of any permit? If not, which of these does the City think it should leave out, and why?