Washington County, UT Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed zone
- Industrial (IND) only, not Manufacturing
- Capacity cap
- 10 to 50 megawatts maximum
- Minimum lot size
- 5 acres in IND zone
- Height limit
- 8 feet minimum, 60 feet maximum
- Lot coverage cap
- 60% of buildings and structures
- Residential buffer
- IND zone barred next to residential zones
- Governing ordinance
- Ord. 2025-1292-O, effective 5-6-2025
Summary
Washington County confines any data, AI, or crypto center to its Industrial (IND) zone, never the adjoining Manufacturing (MFG) zone, and hard-caps every facility at 10 to 50 megawatts; the code states plainly that larger capacity facilities are not permitted. A qualifying site needs a 5-acre minimum lot, and the IND zone itself cannot sit next to any residential, forest residential, agricultural, estate, or open-space zone.
Data, AI, crypto center (10 MW to 50 MW maximum. Larger capacity facilities not permitted.) ... MFG IND Minimum new lot area 40,000 sf 5 acres Maximum lot area 10 acres 20 acres Min/Maximum Height of Any Building or Structure 8'/40' 8'/60' Maximum Lot Coverage 60% 60% Front, side or rear setback adjacent to any R, FR, RA, RE, SFR, OSC or OST zone or property 40 feet IND not permitted
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-17: Code current through: Ord. 2026-1329-O, passed 8-18-2026).
Full Breakdown
County Code § 10-11-2's Manufacturing and Industrial Use Chart lists "Data, AI, crypto center (10 MW to 50 MW maximum. )" as a permitted use, and the "P" mark sits only in the IND column, not the MFG column, so a data center cannot locate on Manufacturing-zoned ground. Section 10-11-3's Area, Setback and Height Requirements table then sets the IND zone's dimensional envelope: a 5-acre minimum new lot, a 20-acre maximum lot, and a height cap of 8 feet minimum up to 60 feet maximum for any building or structure, with maximum lot coverage of all buildings and structures held to 60%.
Street frontage must run at least 140 feet. The same table bars an IND-zoned front, side, or rear setback from touching any R, FR, RA, RE, SFR, OSC, or OST zone or property outright, printed as "IND not permitted," compared with a 40-foot buffer allowed for the Manufacturing zone. § 10-11-5 further requires that any manufacturing or industrial use, building permit, or certificate of occupancy application include an accurate site plan, a listing of all buildings within 200 feet and waterways or wells within 500 feet, architectural plans, sewage and waste engineering plans, traffic and onsite parking plans, the proposed fuel and energy source, and shift and employee counts. These standards were adopted by Ord. 2022-1215-O and most recently amended by Ord. 2025-1292-O, effective May 6, 2025.
Violations & Fines
Section 10-11-2 states any use "not specifically permitted, permitted with standards, or conditionally permitted is prohibited," so an unpermitted data center use, or one built past the 50-megawatt cap, is a zoning violation. Under § 10-1-12 the county building inspector and public works director enforce Title 10; § 10-1-18 lets an inspector issue a stop-work "red tag" on noncompliant construction, and § 10-1-11 lets the county attorney sue to abate the use as a public nuisance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a data center be built in Washington County's Manufacturing zone?
What is the biggest data center Washington County will allow?
Can an IND-zoned data center site sit next to a residential neighborhood?
What must a data center operator submit before breaking ground?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
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