Since ZOMod took effect January 1, 2026, data centers are no longer by-right anywhere in Chesterfield County. They are permitted only in the new Employment Center (EC) and Employment General (EG) districts, and every project needs a conditional use permit approved by the Board of Supervisors.
Chesterfield rebuilt its 1970s-era zoning code through the ZOMod project, adopted September 2025 and effective January 1, 2026 as Chapter 19.2. Data centers were previously by-right in the I-2, I-3 and C-5 districts. ZOMod eliminated that automatic approval: they are now allowed only in the new Employment Center (EC) and Employment General (EG) districts, and only with a conditional use permit. The CUP process routes each proposal through Planning Commission review and a Board of Supervisors public hearing, where the county attaches conditions on buffers, residential setbacks, screening, lighting, height and noise. In June 2026 the Board of Zoning Appeals ruled a 90-acre campus off Old Bermuda Hundred Road near I-95 needs a CUP, not by-right approval.
Building or operating a data center without the required conditional use permit is a zoning violation enforced by the Planning Department, subject to stop-work orders, permit denials and civil penalties. Determinations may be appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals.
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