Sanpete County hits pause on data centers for 6 months

MANTI—The Sanpete County Commission approved a six-month moratorium on new data center development Tuesday, Aug. 4, giving county officials time to draft and adopt land-use regulations for the emerging industry before any proposals can move forward.

The action came during the commission’s regular meeting Aug. 4 and followed a recommendation from the Sanpete County Planning Commission, which has spent the past several months discussing how to regulate both utility-scale solar projects and data centers.

Planning and Zoning Administrator Heidi Sorensen told commissioners the county currently has no ordinance governing data centers.

“I don’t have anything in our ordinance for that,” Sorensen said. “So, we just need some time to start working on that process and get that through public hearings.”

Sorensen said Utah law allows the county to adopt a six-month moratorium while officials work on updates to the county code.

“We can do, I think, six months at a time,” she said. “But as long as we show that we’re looking for updates. There has been discussion with the Planning Commission on what direction they want to head the ordinances and stuff.”

“I think that’s a good thing to get something on the books,” Bartholomew said after the vote.

The county’s action mirrors a six-month moratorium on commercial solar farm development approved by commissioners in June. County officials said at the time that the temporary pause would allow planners to complete an ordinance governing utility-scale solar projects before applications could be submitted under existing county code. Residential solar installations were exempted from that moratorium.

The Planning Commission first opened discussions about regulating data centers during its May 5 meeting, noting the county had no zoning provisions or development standards addressing the use.

At that meeting, Planning Commission Vice Chair Claudia Jarrett said developing an ordinance would help protect residents and provide guidance should developers seek to build facilities in Sanpete County.

County Commissioner Mike Bennett, who requested the initial discussion, said in May the county “should establish regulations before any proposals are submitted because projects meeting existing zoning requirements could be difficult to deny if no standards are in place.”

Planning commissioners also discussed researching how other Utah counties regulate data centers and reviewing potential standards before holding public hearings on a proposed ordinance.

The moratorium temporarily halts new data center development while county officials prepare draft regulations for public review and consideration.