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Tooele County adopts resolution to study data-center rules and possible energy excise tax
Summary
The council unanimously approved Resolution 2026-18 directing staff to study land‑use standards for data centers, consider a regional overlay, and evaluate a potential energy excise tax for high-utility users; the resolution does not itself adopt specific regulations or taxes.
County staff told the council on June 16 that growing interest in data centers has prompted the county to seek guidance and to consider new regulatory tools. "We would like to get ahead of it," the staff member said, explaining the resolution is meant to notify the public and prospective applicants that the county is looking at land-use changes and potential financial measures.
The resolution (2026-18) directs the community development manager and the county attorney’s office to begin drafting options for three topics the staff identified: regional overlay standards for land use, possible changes to land-use ordinances to regulate data centers, and an energy excise tax aimed at high-utility customers. The staff presenter made clear the resolution does not enact new rules; any ordinance would go through the planning commission and allow public comment.
Council members asked whether the county has authority over all aspects of data centers; staff answered that many land-use elements are local but noted limitations in specific areas. The meeting record shows the council voted to approve the resolution; the vote was recorded as unanimous in the provided transcript excerpt.
Next steps: staff will draft ordinance language and return it to the planning commission and then to the council for further review and public hearings before any regulation or tax is adopted.
