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Jonesboro adopts ordinance setting strict rules for data centers and cryptocurrency mining
Summary
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved an ordinance establishing strict siting, performance and setback criteria for data processing centers and cryptocurrency mining; speakers said the rules make such facilities unlikely without rezoning and community safeguards. A public commenter urged clearer enforcement and definitions for vibration/noise standards.
Jonesboro’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance updating municipal code Title 11, Chapter 5 to regulate data processing centers and cryptocurrency mining.
Supporters on the board described the change as a protective, forward-looking measure. Mayor Wolf said the ordinance "does establish criteria" and showed a map indicating that the town’s existing M2 zone does not meet the ordinance’s residential-separation requirements, meaning a data center could not be built in those locations without rezoning or satisfying the new thresholds.
The ordinance sets technical and siting criteria for applicants. During the public hearing, a resident identified as Mr. Carter praised some revisions but urged clearer enforcement provisions and clearer definitions of vibration and noise requirements. He read language from the draft requiring "a vibration study prepared by a qualified professional that no vibration from the data center or associate equipment will be perceptible to the human sense of feeling beyond the property line," and asked how the standard would be measured and enforced.
Town staff and the sponsor framed the ordinance as restrictive by design. The mayor emphasized it is a proactive measure so Jonesboro can set terms instead of reacting later: the ordinance will require applicants to meet noise, vibration, buffering and other technical standards, and it adds an internal, updatable mechanism so the town can adapt future technical thresholds without repeated ordinance votes.
The board moved and approved the ordinance on a roll-call vote. Officials said the combination of strict siting rules and limited power-substation footprint in town means such facilities are unlikely to locate in Jonesboro without substantial changes, including rezoning.
The ordinance’s immediate effect is regulatory: it establishes the formal criteria and the administrative process an applicant must satisfy. Questions raised during the hearing — notably the measurement and enforcement of vibration and low-frequency sound standards — were recorded in the public comment and may be addressed in implementing rules or future amendments.
The measure now proceeds to staff for implementation steps and notices to affected departments and the planning commission.
