Weld County, CO Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)

Sec. 23-3-310(F)(5), the Uses by Special Review list for the I-1 (Light Industrial) Zone District, names "DATA CENTERS" alongside correctional facilities, churches, and research laboratories, meaning a data center in I-1 needs a Special Review Permit approved by the Board of County Commissioners after a Planning Commission hearing, under the process set out in Secs. 23-2-200 through 23-2-230, plus the $3,000 "all other USR permits" fee in Appendix 5-J. Move one tier up in intensity and the process gets easier: Sec. 23-3-320(C)(9) lists DATA CENTERS as a Use allowed subject to Site Plan Review in the I-2 (Medium Industrial) Zone District, and Sec.

23-3-330(C)(12) does the same for I-3 (Heavy Industrial), both of which only require Planning Services to approve and record a Site Plan under Article II, Division 3, without a public hearing. The Site Plan Review fee schedule in Appendix 5-J scales with building size, from $1,500 for buildings under 10,000 square feet to $6,000 for buildings over 25,000 square feet, which matters for a large-footprint data center. Weld's I-1 district intent language in Sec. 23-3-310(A) describes it as accommodating uses "conducted primarily in ENCLOSED BUILDINGS" that "may be located near residential areas if designed properly," which explains why the county keeps a discretionary review layer there while treating the same use as administrative once it moves into the heavier, less residential-adjacent I-2 and I-3 districts.