Peoria, IL Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed districts
- O-2, I-1, I-2, and I-3 only
- Approval type
- Special use permit via City Council
- Governing table
- Section 5.2.2 Permitted Use Table
- Performance standards cross-reference
- Section 5.3.4.B
- By-right in any district
- No
Summary
Peoria's Unified Development Code permits data centers in only four zoning districts, the O-2 office district and the I-1, I-2, and I-3 industrial districts, and even there the use is never permitted by right. The Permitted Use Table marks data centers with the special-use symbol in those districts, meaning City Council approval under Section 2.9 is required before one can open, and every other district bars the use outright.
5.2.1 Use Table Key B.Use Permitted through Special Use Review (□) Indicates a use that may be permitted in the respective district only where approved by City Council in accordance with 2.9. Special uses are subject to all other applicable requirements of this development code, including all applicable use standards, except where such use standards are expressly modified by the City Council as part of the special use approval. C.Use Not Permitted A blank cell indicates that a use is not permitted in the respective district.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 119).
Full Breakdown
2 lists 'Data Center' as an industrial use category and marks it with the open-square special-use symbol in only four columns: O-2, I-1, I-2, and I-3. 9,' and remains subject to 'all other applicable requirements of this development code, including all applicable use standards,' unless the City Council expressly modifies a standard as part of its approval. B, which govern noise, prohibit shipping-container construction, and require a post-startup noise affidavit. 4B' next to the Data Center row, tying siting approval to the performance standards. Because the use is barred everywhere else, a developer proposing a data center outside O-2, I-1, I-2, or I-3 must first obtain a rezoning before a special use application can even be considered.
Violations & Fines
Operating or constructing a data center outside the O-2, I-1, I-2, or I-3 districts, or without an approved special use permit where one is required, is a zoning violation enforceable by the Zoning Administrator under the City's general code enforcement process. Because approval runs through the special use process at Section 2.9, unauthorized construction can also trigger a stop-work order from the Building Permit office and jeopardize the special use once the required post-startup noise affidavit is due.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a data center locate in a residential or general commercial district in Peoria?
Is a special use permit always required for a data center in Peoria?
What happens after a data center special use is approved in Peoria?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Peoria
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