Data Centers Resource Hub
Upcoming Events
Related News
As local authority shapes decisions on permitting, infrastructure planning and community engagement for data centers, this dynamic hub turns ideas into practice across key areas, giving county leaders practical tools to support local decision making around development and long-term economic growth.
NACo’s Data Center Resource Hub provides counties with a collection of strategies and resources to strengthen our approach to data center development and oversight. As local authority shapes decisions on permitting, infrastructure planning and community engagement for data centers, this dynamic hub turns ideas into practice across key areas, giving county leaders practical tools to support local decision making around development and long-term economic growth.
NACo Data Center Webinar Series
County leaders are navigating fast-moving energy and data center issues that can shape local economies, infrastructure and community priorities. NACo’s Rural Energy Academy webinar series gives counties a practical forum to learn from experts, ask questions and exchange insights with peers facing similar opportunities and challenges on the ground. Each session will feature expert presentations, facilitated Q&A and dedicated time for county-to-county discussion. Topics will include the economic considerations of data centers, understanding utility rates and the intersection of water usage and technology.
Economic Considerations for Data Centers: Understanding Revenue, Risk and Long-Term Value
As the first webinar in NACo's Fall Data Center Webinar Series, this session will provide county officials with a foundation for understanding data center development before exploring the fiscal and economic considerations counties face.
Data Center Series: Understanding Electricity Trends
Building on the first webinar in NACo's Fall Data Center Series, this session uses that foundation in data center development and economic considerations to examine how data centers and other factors are reshaping electricity costs nationwide.
Data Center Series: Water Use and Cooling
As the third session in NACo's Data Center Series, this call will focus on understanding water use and cooling of data centers.
Data Centers, the Grid and County Development
At the 2026 NACo Annual Conference & Expo, county leaders and industry experts examined how rapid data center growth is affecting local economies, land use, public revenues and electricity infrastructure. The discussion explored the county role in siting and grid stability, along with the fiscal and community considerations involved in evaluating new data center proposals.
Resource
NACo Informational Primer and County Considerations: Data Centers
This resource provides county elected officials, administrators and planning leaders with a high-level framework to evaluate, permit and oversee data center development. Instead of focusing on technical details, it highlights key challenges across the project lifecycle and offers guidance for steering development toward long-term economic and environmental goals.
Conference
2026 NACo Energy Symposium
Join county leaders from across the country in the Texas Panhandle to engage with the most pressing energy issues shaping rural America today. Hear from experts, exchange ideas with peers and gain practical insights into the policies, projects and partnerships driving rural energy development.
Peer Exchange
2026 NACo Data Center Peer Exchange
December 14–16 | Dorchester County, S.C.
Applications are now open for the National Association of Counties (NACo) Data Center Peer Exchange in Dorchester County, S.C. This event is co-sponsored by Google through NACo’s Rural Energy Academy (REA). This unique one-and-a-half-day event offers county leaders the opportunity to connect with peers from communities hosting Google data centers, tour local data center facilities, hear from experts, exchange best practices and explore solutions to shared challenges and opportunities related to data center development.
Counties of all sizes are invited to apply. While hosted under the REA, participation is not limited to rural counties.
County Spotlights
Data Center Development Recommendations for Local Communities
Cuyahoga County, Ohio
This guide assists local governments navigate data center proposals through zoning tools, benefit agreements and frameworks for evaluating developer commitments.
Data Center Zoning Ordinance
Susquehanna County, Pa.
Susquehanna County’s ordinance provides a local model for data center decommissioning, pairing defined shutdown triggers with enforceable timelines and robust financial assurance. Counties seeking to address long-term liability, stranded infrastructure and site restoration can look to this framework as a baseline for decommissioning requirements.
Data Center Zoning Ordinance
Maricopa County, Ariz.
This city ordinance within Maricopa County, Ariz. establishes a local framework for data center siting and community protection, with extensive noise mitigation requirements and mandatory neighborhood engagement.
For more county resources focused on data centers, as well as access to an information sharing platform for county leaders to discuss local challenges and solutions at work in America’s energy counties, join NACo’s Energy Counties Exchange.
Partner Resources
| Title | Organization | Description |
|---|---|---|
Urban Land Institute |
This resource provides strategies for local officials and planners to understand data center development, navigate planning challenges and adapt model zoning guidelines for their jurisdictions. |
|
Climate Mayors |
This collection of case studies highlights how local jurisdictions are navigating data center development within their communities, with considerations including land use, water, noise and more. |
|
Community Strategies to Address Data Center Development and Operation |
American Association for the Advancement of Science and National League of Cities |
This fact sheet outlines zoning, permitting and policy approaches local governments can use to manage the land use and community impacts of data center development and operation. |
Turning the Data Center Boom into Long-Term, Local Prosperity |
Brookings Institute |
This report examines how counties and regions can approach data center development to secure long-term local benefits. |
U.S. Department of Energy announces cancellation of National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors
On August 12, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it would not continue the designation process for three proposed National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs). The cancellation means that DOE is not actively considering any NIETCs, which preempt state and county siting authority for energy infrastructure.
U.S. EPA releases guidance for compliance with lead pipe removal requirements
On August 21, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released additional guidance for water systems to comply with the 2024 Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LRCI). The guidance comes as water systems face a November 1, 2027, deadline to complete a baseline inventory of water service line materials and begin replacing service lines. The guidance provides further directions on how to assess, identify and access service lines to comply with the rule.
NACo sends letter to Congressional leadership asking them to reauthorize or extend key programs
NACo sends letter to Congressional leadership asking them to prioritize reauthorizing or extending key programs for counties ahead of September deadline
FCC considers preemption of local authorities in broadband permitting process
Counties are partners in broadband deployment efforts – not barriers – and pursuing one-size-fits-all regulations will further burden progress towards closing the digital divide
U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee advances data center and permitting legislation
U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee advances permitting and data center legislation.
U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Ranking Member introduces legislation to protect ratepayers from costs of data center expansion
On August 3, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced the Guarding Ratepayers from Increased Demand-costs (GRID) Savings Act of 2026. The proposed legislation would create a process for large electricity users to pay for any infrastructure costs associated with increased demand for the electric grid.
Data Center Series: Understanding Electricity Trends
Building on the first webinar in NACo's Fall Data Center Series, this session uses that foundation in data center development and economic considerations to examine how data centers and other factors are reshaping electricity costs nationwide.
Protect County Operations from Email Attacks: Live Webinar Demo
Email remains the leading entry point for cyberattacks—and one compromised county inbox can disrupt essential services, expose sensitive information, and undermine public trust.
Join us for a practical webinar and live demonstration exploring why counties need layered email security that protects messages both before and after they reach an employee’s inbox. You’ll learn how secure email gateways and API-based protection work together to combat phishing, credential theft, account takeover, malicious link redirects, and supplier compromise.
From Data to Decisions: Using AI to Improve Digital Government Services
Government agencies have more data than ever before, but turning that information into clear priorities and measurable outcomes remains a challenge. Disconnected systems, competing demands, and limited resources can make it difficult to know how to improve resident experiences.
Join Granicus for a discussion on the challenges and opportunities of measuring and improving digital experiences and engagement, along with a look at how agencies can use AI-powered insights to make smarter decisions for their community.
Data Center Series: Water Use and Cooling
As the third session in NACo's Data Center Series, this call will focus on understanding water use and cooling of data centers.
2026 NACo Energy Symposium
Join county leaders from across the country in the Texas Panhandle to engage with the most pressing energy issues shaping rural America today. Hear from experts, exchange ideas with peers and gain practical insights into the policies, projects and partnerships driving rural energy development.