Chesterfield County has not enacted a data center moratorium or countywide cap. Rather than pausing development, the county tightened zoning through ZOMod, effective January 1, 2026, which removed by-right status and now requires a conditional use permit for every data center. Individual projects stalled through litigation, not a ban.
Unlike some localities that adopted temporary moratoriums, Chesterfield chose regulatory tightening over a pause. The ZOMod overhaul, effective January 1, 2026, eliminated by-right data center development and made every new project a conditional use requiring Board of Supervisors approval after a public hearing. There is no numeric cap on the number of data centers. Several large campuses advanced under review, including Google projects Peanut, Skye and Loch, while others stalled: the 90-acre Old Bermuda Hundred campus near I-95 was paused after the Board of Zoning Appeals upheld a June 2026 ruling that it needs a permit, and a large Branders Bridge proposal was withdrawn. The honest posture is a conditional-use gate on all projects, not a moratorium.
Not applicable — no moratorium exists to violate. Projects that proceed without the now-required conditional use permit are handled as zoning violations by the Planning Department, with stop-work orders, permit denials and Board of Zoning Appeals review.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Chesterfield County, VA
Backyard composting of yard and food waste is allowed in Chesterfield County and promoted as a waste-reduction practice. Compost must be kept so it does not ...
Chesterfield County, VA
Chesterfield County has no ordinance banning residential artificial turf. Synthetic lawns are generally allowed, subject to zoning, stormwater and drainage r...
Chesterfield County, VA
Chesterfield County does not require homeowners to plant native species in ordinary yards, but native and regionally appropriate plants are required for rest...
Chesterfield County, VA
Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged in Chesterfield County. There is no ordinance banning rain barrels or cisterns for residential lawn and garden u...
Chesterfield County, VA
Virginia has no statewide mandatory lawn-watering ban. Chesterfield County Utilities issues conservation measures during drought; as of summer 2026 restricti...
Chesterfield County, VA
Chesterfield County parks are open dawn to dusk, with no trespassing after park hours. Separately, a county curfew bars anyone under 18 from public places be...
See how Chesterfield County's data center moratoriums rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.