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Commission adopts 180‑day pause on data‑center applications while staff drafts permanent rules
Summary
Grand County adopted a 180‑day temporary land‑use regulation pausing acceptance and processing of data‑center, power‑plant and related infrastructure applications so staff can draft permanent, objective standards (water, power, noise, lighting and siting) and align county code with evolving state law and peer jurisdictions.
The Grand County Commission voted unanimously to adopt a 180‑day temporary land‑use regulation that pauses acceptance and processing of applications for data centers, associated power plants and digital infrastructure pending a permanent code update. Planning director Andrew Jackson told the commission the pause preserves a "clean slate" while staff develop definitions and objective performance standards for what the county will allow.
Jackson said: "This is not abandonment, and it's not the county's final position on these uses. It's a limited time bounded pause that gives staff and commission the room to do permanent work properly." He noted the county’s current code lacks a clear definition of a data center and that Utah has seen rapid data‑center activity; the temporary regulation preserves the status quo so the permanent ordinance can be developed with public hearings, coordination with state law and technical review. The commission directed staff to accept public comments and to return revised permanent code language through the planning commission and county commission public‑hearing process.
