Stafford County, VA Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)

Section 28-39(q) of the Zoning Ordinance adds a dedicated set of siting standards for data center development on top of the county's general zoning rules. Primary structures must sit back at least 750 feet from any property line abutting the Rappahannock or Potomac Rivers, an existing or approved Stafford County school, or a residential use or residentially zoned undeveloped property, and at least 100 feet from commercially zoned property. Accessory structures, parking, loading areas, outdoor storage and substation facilities must stay 300 feet from a school, residential use or residentially zoned land, and 300 feet from an assisted living facility, nursing home, park or child care center.

Sites abutting residential property need a vegetated buffer at least 200 feet wide, and outside the urban services area, at least 40 percent of the site must remain open space. Every data center must be enclosed with security fencing at least 8 feet high with an anti-climbing device and gates, and chain-link or barbed-wire fencing is prohibited except around electrical substations. Building-mounted lighting cannot exceed 30 feet in height, and site lighting is capped at 15 footcandles. m. The board of supervisors can modify these buffers and setbacks during a zoning reclassification based on a viewshed or noise study.