Loveland, CO Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)
Key Facts
- Zones allowed
- B, MAC, E and I zones only
- Screening trigger
- Under 15% windows/doors and street-visible
- DT zone exclusion
- Barred from two Downtown character areas
- Bufferyard required
- Type C bufferyard on qualifying elevations
- Effective date
- November 20, 2018
Summary
Loveland's Unified Development Code allows data centers in the B, MAC, E and I zones only if street-facing building elevations are screened with a Type C bufferyard, and bars the use outright from the Downtown zone's Fourth Street and Neighborhood Transition Character Areas. The rule targets blank, windowless server-farm walls visible from public streets.
A. Data Center. The use is allowed if, in addition to compliance with all other applicable standards in the UDC, the use complies with the following standards; 1. B, MAC, E, and I Zones. Building elevations shall be screened from view from adjoining streets with a type C bufferyard if both: a. The elevation is comprised of less than 15 percent windows and doors; and b. The elevation is visible from the street. 2. DT Zone. The use is not allowed in the Fourth Street Character Area or the Neighborhood Transition Character Area.
Full Breakdown
A sets the siting rule on top of every other UDC standard that already applies. In the B (Business), MAC (Mixed-Use Activity Center), E (Employment) and I (Industrial) zones, a data center building must screen any street-facing elevation with a Type C bufferyard whenever that elevation is both less than 15 percent windows and doors and visible from the street, a test aimed at the blank walls typical of server farms. In the DT (Downtown) zone the use is barred entirely from the Fourth Street Character Area and the Neighborhood Transition Character Area, meaning a data center cannot locate in those two Downtown subareas no matter how it screens its walls.
04's use-specific standards. 13. The Type C bufferyard itself must meet the planting and width specifications set out in the UDC's landscaping and buffering standards, not a generic fence or wall.
Violations & Fines
A data center that opens without the required Type C bufferyard, or that locates in the DT zone's Fourth Street or Neighborhood Transition Character Areas, is a zoning violation enforceable by the City's code compliance staff under UDC Chapter 18.18, Enforcement, which can order correction, deny occupancy, or pursue civil remedies until the use complies with Section 18.02.04.10.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a data center locate anywhere in Loveland?
What screening does a Loveland data center need?
Who enforces Loveland's data center zoning rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Loveland
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