Data Center Ordinances
Need help bulwarking your local township or county against AI data centers? We’ve collected data center zoning ordinance drafts from communities across Michigan for you to use as a baseline for your own communities.
Why are zoning ordinances important?
Zoning is your township’s shield against unwanted development
Local townships have the right to determine local land use–no matter what developers and their goons might tell you. Land use in your township is governed by local zoning ordinances; this includes AI data centers.
Every community is unique
Every township has its own unique composition of land, local economic activity, and vision for its community’s future. That’s why every township (or county, in some cases) has its own unique zoning ordinances, which dictate land use for the community.
Zoning against AI data centers
Yes, it’s true that Michigan’s Zoning Enabling Act does not allow for directly “exclusionary zoning”. All this means is that townships cannot simply make a list of types of developments they don’t want to allow.
HOWEVER: the Zoning Enabling Act does allow for townships to dictate their own land usage, through zoning requirements, special use permits, and disallowed uses. Through these mechanisms, local communities can limit the size, resource consumption, and impact of development projects.
Master Plans matter. A lot.
Local zoning ordinances are guided by the township's (and/or county’s) overarching Master Plan. This is where townships outline their larger priorities and goals for land use in the community. For example: townships rich in agricultural land may emphasize agricultural land use, and discourage heavy industrial development. In some cases, Master Plans disallow for heavy industrial development altogether.
The overarching guidelines which are outlined in your township master plan have a huge impact on how zoning ordinances are written and enforced.
So if your township is revising its zoning ordinances to protect against AI data centers, you need to examine the goals and land use recommendations set by your Master Plan as well.
Form a resident advisory committee
Even the best planning commissions need the input and oversight of local residents. AI data centers are emerging technology. There’s no precedent for these hyperscale data center developments, which means that planning commissioners and township boards don’t know any more about them than residents do–sometimes, they know substantially less. Do NOT count on your local township board and planning commissioners to know what’s best for your community, and do not count on them to understand the best way to draft zoning to protect your local land use.
Download Community Draft Ordinances
Notes: each of these are DRAFT ordinances, in various stages of completion. None of these drafts represent a finalized zoning ordinance which has been adopted. Your zoning ordinance will need to be custom tailored to your community.
Howell and Lyon Township draft ordinances are still being revised, with input from local community members. Howell’s 32 page draft amendments were authored by the independent Howell Township Resident Research Committee.
Michigan Township Association (MTA) has provided a sample draft ordinance, which should be used ONLY as a baseline starting point. MTA is thick as thieves with developers and attorneys, so they can often not be trusted, but their sample draft provides a baseline for enforceable language which communities can build on.
Groveland Township Resident Advisory Committee (GTRAC) is a 100% local resident committee in Clinton County which has assembled a comprehensive zoning ordinance designed to bulwark against AI data centers, as well as utility-scale wind, solar, and battery energy storage systems (BESS).
Howell Twp Overlay District Amendments DRAFT 9.22.26 (pdf)
DownloadLyon Twp Draft Ordinance - Amendments for Large Land Uses 9.9.26 Redline - Mckenna DRAFT (pdf)
DownloadMTA Sample Data Center Zoning Ordinance (pdf)
DownloadGroveland Twp Resident Advisory Committee Data Center Draft Ordinance 8.26 (pdf)
DownloadCONCERNS ABOUT DATA CENTER ORDINANCES
Don’t data center ordinances just make it easier for developers to build?
They can–and this is a very legitimate concern among grassroots. Politicians often offer regulation as a solution to development that’s out of control, while in reality that regulation is actually just making it easier for developers to bulldoze communities.
Zoning ordinances are no different. They can absolutely be used to pave the way for data center developers, when they are drafted by the wrong people, with the wrong motives. However, when drafted with the right expertise, clear sighted motives, and the diligent oversight of residents, zoning ordinances can provide sterling protection against unwanted developments.
Sample Resident Committee Report
The following Data Center Impact Assessment was drafted by resident volunteers of Groveland Township, in Clinton County, for the purpose of guiding the local planning commission and board on how to best protect local land use against unwanted development–specifically hyperscale data centers and utility-scale energy projects.
The report cites case studies, scientific research, and data benchmarked against existing sites. This concrete information is critical for helping local officials make sound, legally enforceable zoning decisions.
The report also makes a series of detailed recommendations to planning commissioners, laying out a step-by-step roadmap for local officials.
While this report was drafted specifically for Groveland Township, the format can be used by any township in Michigan. We highly recommend forming your own local resident advisory committee and drafting a similar report, specific to your township, following this report as a guide.
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