Loudoun County, Virginia, has taken a significant step in
regulating the development of future data centers. On March 18,
2025, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved a
comprehensive plan amendment (CPAM) and zoning ordinance amendment
(ZOAM) that eliminated by-right development of data centers within
Loudoun County. Under the new ZOAM, data centers are no longer able
to be approved administratively and are now required to seek and
obtain approval of a special exception, which entails a stringent
legislative review and public hearings before both the Loudoun
County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors.
The ZOAM includes a grandfathering provision for data center
applications already under review as of Feb. 12, 2025. This
provision applies exclusively to proposed data centers located more
than 500 feet from residential areas, provided there are no
substantial changes to the application. Applications within 500
feet of residential areas are
