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 |
|---|---|---|
Data Center Fundamentals for Economic Development Districts Staff |
National Association of Development Organizations |
This resource examines the role Economic Development Districts (EDDs) can play in supporting counties and municipalities as they navigate data center projects, including convening regional stakeholders, assisting with zoning regulation clarity and outlining considerations such as property tax revenue and infrastructure demands. It provides an overview for local leaders assessing the economic and infrastructure impacts of data center development. |
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. House begins reauthorization process for Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program
On August 27, leaders on the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce announced the beginning of the reauthorization process for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) by circulating a discussion draft of the Safe Drinking Water Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2026. The discussion draft would reauthorize the DWSRF through fiscal year (FY) 2031 and authorize $1.126 billion annually for the program.
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
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.
Cyber Forecast 2027: AI, Risk, and What County Leaders Need to Know
AI is here, and cybersecurity needs to be part of the plan. It's a budget, workforce, and public trust conversation, and 2027 is set to raise the stakes further.
Join CAI and other county leaders for a forward-looking briefing on the threats and technologies set to define the year ahead: AI-powered social engineering and deepfakes that are getting cheaper and more convincing, and the emergence of "agentic AI" as both a new attack surface and a defensive tool. The early warning signs of quantum-era encryption risk, and the ease of entry for threat actors due to AI is pushing more counties toward automation, cloud adoption, and managed services.
This session translates high-level industry forecasts into a plain-language outlook built specifically for county leaders, so your organization can budget, staff, and plan with confidence heading into 2027.