Data Centers & Crypto Mining in Virginia (2026)
19 rules on the books across Virginia, 12 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Data Center Zoning & Siting
Where data centers may be built, including the zoning districts that allow them, conditional-use-permit requirements, residential setback and buffer distances, and lot-size or acreage minimums.
Fairfax County
Heavy RestrictionsFairfax County allows data centers by right up to 40,000 square feet in C-3 and C-4 districts and 80,000 square feet in…
Read full rule →Loudoun County
Heavy RestrictionsData centers in Loudoun County require Special Exception approval countywide since March 2025, ending by-right…
Read full rule →Albemarle County
Significant RestrictionsAlbemarle County's zoning ordinance treats data centers as their own use category with dedicated siting rules. Sec…
Read full rule →Frederick County
Significant RestrictionsIn Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, a data center rezoning or CUP application must…
Read full rule →James City County
Significant RestrictionsJames City County confines data centers to a single zoning district: the General Industrial District, M-2. Zoning…
Read full rule →Spotsylvania County
Significant RestrictionsSpotsylvania County treats data centers as a distinct zoning use requiring board-of-supervisors special use approval in…
Read full rule →Stafford County
Significant RestrictionsStafford County's Zoning Ordinance sets data-center-specific standards: 750-foot setbacks from the Rappahannock and…
Read full rule →York County
Significant RestrictionsIn York County, Virginia, data centers need a special use permit from the Board of Supervisors and must meet siting…
Read full rule →Charlottesville
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Charlottesville, Virginia, a data center is a distinct industrial use under the Development Code and may…
Read full rule →Prince William County
Some RestrictionsPrince William County steers data centers into its Data Center Opportunity Zone Overlay District, which the Board of…
Read full rule →Roanoke County
Some RestrictionsRoanoke County, Virginia (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem) has no standalone data-center ordinance…
Read full rule →Data Center Noise Limits
Decibel caps on data-center cooling and backup-generator noise at the property line, how and when noise is measured, tighter nighttime limits, and how communities enforce them against continuous hum.
Fairfax County
Heavy RestrictionsFairfax County caps continuous data center noise at the property line: 55 dBA at night (10 p.m.-7 a.m.) and 60 dBA…
Read full rule →Frederick County
Significant RestrictionsIn Frederick County outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown, a data center rezoning or conditional use permit…
Read full rule →York County
Significant RestrictionsYork County caps data center noise at fifty-five A-weighted decibels and sixty-five C-weighted decibels, measured at…
Read full rule →Albemarle County
Some RestrictionsAlbemarle County's zoning ordinance sets a hard noise ceiling on data center backup generators. Under Sec…
Read full rule →Chesterfield County
Some RestrictionsChesterfield County sets no decibel cap for data center equipment. Cooling and generator noise falls under the general…
Read full rule →Loudoun County
Some RestrictionsData centers in Loudoun County must not exceed 55 dB(A) at the property line of any adjacent lot that permits a…
Read full rule →Data Center Moratoriums
Temporary pauses or outright bans on new data-center development while a locality studies impacts, including moratorium length, what triggers one, and which projects are grandfathered in.
Prince William County
Heavy RestrictionsPrince William County has no temporary data center moratorium, but its zoning ordinance permanently bars the use from…
Read full rule →Spotsylvania County
Significant RestrictionsSpotsylvania County has not adopted a data center moratorium; instead County Code § 22-47 bars any data center or…
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