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Lyon County reviews draft data‑center ordinance that would set definitions, setbacks and technical studies
Summary
County staff presented a draft ordinance that would treat data centers as a conditional use in industrial zones and require applicants to provide early technical studies (utility, noise, traffic, water), a 20‑year reclaimed water commitment for water‑consuming cooling, and a 150% decommissioning bond. Commissioners asked staff to return with revisions after public feedback.
County staff presented a comprehensive draft data‑center ordinance that would create a new regulatory framework for data centers, battery energy storage systems and supporting infrastructure. Gavin Henderson, Lyon County community development director, told the board the ordinance would make data centers a conditional use across industrial zoning districts and require an expanded application package including a site plan, electrical utility impact assessment, noise study, traffic studies (construction and operational), a water and sewer impact analysis, emergency response plan and fiscal impact analysis.
Henderson said the ordinance would apply to new data‑center construction, major expansions (more than 10,000 square feet or 5 megawatts added), conversions of existing buildings and accessory infrastructure such as substations and battery energy storage systems. On decommissioning, the draft would require financial security equal to 150% of estimated decommissioning costs, periodic five‑year updates to cost estimates and timelines for site restoration.
The draft sets design standards that include a 75‑foot maximum building height, facade articulation every 150 feet, and landscaping, screening and masonry wall requirements for equipment and substations. For noise, staff proposed retaining the county’s existing property‑line standards (65 dBA daytime, 60 dBA nighttime) with pre‑application and post‑construction verification that sites meet limits prior to occupancy. On cooling systems, Henderson said water‑consuming cooling (evaporative/hybrid) would be generally prohibited unless the applicant demonstrates exclusive use of reclaimed/effluent water and a binding 20‑year supply commitment.
Why it matters: the ordinance would standardize how Lyon County evaluates data‑center impacts — water, noise, air, emergency response and fiscal effects — before land‑use approvals. The draft leaves room for the board to tighten setbacks, monitoring and decommissioning language after the workshop; commissioners voted to have staff return with a revised draft incorporating public comments.
