McLean County, IL Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)

McLean County's Zoning Ordinance treats data centers as a listed use governed by § 350-43FFF, found in Article VI, Use Regulations. Any part of a data center visible within 500 feet of an existing dwelling must carry a landscaping screen made of a continuous line of native evergreen foliage, native shrubs, native trees, or an existing wooded area, and that screening has to be maintained for as long as the facility operates, per § 350-43FFF(1). Before construction, the facility owner must secure a road use agreement and access approval from the applicable road authority under § 350-43FFF(3), submit an emergency plan to the local fire protection district and cover the cost of any specialized firefighter training under § 350-43FFF(4), and disclose the amount and source of both water and electricity the facility will draw under § 350-43FFF(5) and (6).

A battery energy storage system may accompany the data center as an accessory use only if it serves the data center exclusively and its capacity stays at or under five megawatts, § 350-43FFF(7). Because this chapter is McLean County's zoning code, these siting conditions bind unincorporated county land only; a data center proposed inside Bloomington or Normal answers to that city's own separate zoning code instead. The Director of Building and Zoning administers site plan review and enforcement, and the County Board acts on the underlying special use petition.