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Clark County commissioners initiate zoning text amendment to create a “Data Centers” section
Summary
The Board of Clark County Commissioners voted unanimously April 29 to begin a zoning text amendment (Case # ZA-2026-01) that would add a Section 749 “Data Centers” and amend the Heavy Industrial District; commissioners said the change is intended to give the county tools to address data-center impacts though it cannot legally ban them.
The Board of Clark County Commissioners voted unanimously April 29 to initiate a zoning text amendment, Case # ZA-2026-01, that would add a new Section 749 titled “Data Centers,” amend sections of the Heavy Industrial District and renumber affected provisions under Ohio Revised Code 303.12.
Commissioner Sasha L. Rittenhouse said the amendment "begins the process that is required to be able to protect the county from data centers," and noted the commissioners do not have unilateral authority to ban such facilities. Commissioner Richard L. Lohnes asked whether municipalities have tools to restrict data centers; Beau Thompson, the county’s chief legal counsel, said yes.
The amendment was described in the motion as a comprehensive zoning text change that would create a discrete category for data centers and correct typographical and numbering issues in the zoning code. The formal initiation carries no regulatory ban; it opens the legal and public-notice process for drafting specific rules, public comment and further hearings.
The motion to initiate the amendment passed 3–0 (Commissioners Patterson, Lohnes and Rittenhouse voting yes). The county’s next steps are to draft the proposed language, provide required public notice and take the amendment through any necessary hearings and reviews under ORC 303.12.
