Prince William County, VA Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Moratoriums (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- PWC Zoning Ordinance § 32-509.06
- Prohibited districts
- A-1, all residential, PMR, B-2, B-3, V
- Ban type
- Permanent district exclusion, not a moratorium
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 16-21, May 17, 2016
- Amendment path
- Board of County Supervisors ordinance
- Allowed zones instead
- O(L), O(H), O(M), O(F), M-1, M-2, M/T
Summary
Prince William County has no temporary data center moratorium, but its zoning ordinance permanently bars the use from six district types. Section 32-509.06 blocks data centers from every agricultural and residential district plus the PMR, B-2, B-3 and Village zones, regardless of overlay status.
Data centers shall be prohibited in agricultural, residential, PMR, B-2, B-3, and V districts.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 46 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
Rather than pausing data center permitting for a fixed period the way a moratorium would, Prince William County wrote a standing exclusion directly into Part 509 of the Zoning Ordinance. 06 states plainly that data centers 'shall be prohibited in agricultural, residential, PMR, B-2, B-3, and V districts,' covering the county's A-1 Agricultural district, every residential zoning classification, the Planned Mixed Residential (PMR) district, B-2 Community Business, B-3 Regional Business, and the Village (V) district created for the Potomac Communities area. This sits alongside the Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District that Ord.
No. 06 is the categorical backstop to that stated purpose. Because the ban is written into the permanent district list rather than as a time-boxed hold, it does not expire on its own and cannot lapse the way a moratorium would. 02(2) uses to create or expand the overlay itself, meaning any repeal or carve-out has to go through a full public rezoning-style process rather than simply running out. 05.
Violations & Fines
A data center application on land zoned A-1, any residential class, PMR, B-2, B-3 or V is not eligible for a zoning permit or site plan approval; the Zoning Administrator must reject it outright under Chapter 32. The only cure is a rezoning to a district where Section 32-509.03 or Section 32-509.05 allows the use, a Board of County Supervisors action, not an administrative variance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Prince William County passed a moratorium on new data centers?
Can a data center ever be approved on residentially zoned land in the county?
Why does the county exclude B-2 and B-3 commercial zones but allow O(L) and O(H) office zones?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Prince William County
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