Planning Advice: For Data Centers.

Please Note: The following resources were used to draft this planning advice document and are provided as general guidance and recommendations on land use considerations for data centers. Please be aware that the following links will direct to external sites. The Berks County Planning Commission nor the County of Berks are responsible for the content found on these sites. Any resources shared here within, other than official County of Berks documents, are for informational purposes only. The inclusion of these resources in this document does not represent an official endorsement of their contents or views by the County of Berks.

Pennsylvania (County Resources):

Lancaster County Planning Commission: Data Center Planning Guidance
York County Planning Commission: Data Center Model Ordinance
Cumberland County Planning Commission: Planning for Data Centers Document

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission: Planning Toolkit Fact Sheet Data Centers
Chester & Montgomery County Planning Commission: Data Center Ordinance Guide

Pennsylvania (Municipality Resources):
Palmer Township, Northampton County PA: Data Center Zoning Amendment

Limerick Township, Montgomery County PA: Data Center Zoning Amendment

Londonderry Township, Dauphin County: Data Center Zoning Amendment

Pennsylvania (State Resources):

Congressional Research Service: Data Centers and Their Energy
Consumption: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Governor Shapiro 2026-2027 Budget Proposal Press Release

2025 Senate Republican Hearing on Data Centers

PA Environment Digest Blog – summary of Senate Hearing

Spotlight PA News Article: AI Incentives in PA

Other County and Municipality Resources:

Pennsylvania State Association of Townships (PSATS): Data Center Webinar

Loudon County, VA Resources:

https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/loudouncounty-va-crosswalk/doc-viewer.aspx?secid=859#secid-859

https://www.loudoun.gov/DocumentCenter/View/217610/Data-Center-Pros-Cons-Local-Best-Practices

https://www.loudoun.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/13979

Frederick County, MD: Data Center Resource Webpage

https://www.frederickcountymd.gov/9122/Data-Centers

American Planning Association (APA) Resources:

https://www.planning.org/planning/2021/summer/data-centers-evolved-a-primer-for-planners/

https://planning-org-uploaded-media.s3.amazonaws.com/publication/online/Zoning-Practice-2025-10.pdf

Penn State University (PSU) Resource:
Data Centers and Water Use in Pennsylvania

Villanova University (Resource): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy0L3t6v6w8

Environmental Resources:

Environmental and Energy Study Institute: Data Centers and Water Consumption article

Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC): Dry Cooling and Hybrid Dry Cooling Technology Encouragement Resolution

PennFuture: Data Center Planning Guidance & Model Ordinance

Chesapeake Bay Journal: News article regarding Data Center development and watershed impacts