Can a data center be built near you? How local governments regulating them

Data centers are a hot-button issue, one the Lowcountry hasn’t been able to escape. With data centers operating, under-construction or planned nearby, many county governments have moved to pause data center development.

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The construction of data centers has raised concerns over power and water usage, as well as effects on the environment and nearby residents. Jasper County has passed a moratorium, and Colleton County agreed to a ban covering around half of its land. Here’s what to know about local data center policy:

Here’s more about what those local counties, as well as Beaufort County, are doing.

Jasper County

Jasper County Council passed a one-year on Monday, Oct. 5. The moratorium pauses the acceptance of, review of, or action on any applications for development of “Data Centers, Data Processing Facilities, Cryptocurrency Mining Operations or any Other Uses Associated With Data Processing Facilities,” according to the moratorium ordinance.

The county first proposed the moratorium in early September, and it subsequently passed first and second readings on Sept. 8 and Sept. 21. The moratorium allows county staff to ensure data centers won’t have adverse effects on residents and “no significant” demands on the water supply, electric grid or emergency services, Director of Planning & Building Services Lisa Wagner said.

No data centers have been proposed in the county, Council Chairman Joey Rowell said. Jasper County is one of the fastest growing in the country, with both commercial and residential developments popping up regularly. The moratorium only covers unincorporated areas of the county, which means data centers could be built within town limits without county oversight.

Colleton County

Colleton County’s data center ban comes from a lawsuit over a planned data center.

The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) sued Colleton County on behalf of two landowners over a zoning policy that allowed data centers in rural areas, according to a press release. County Council implemented a six-month moratorium in July 2026.

Much of rural Colleton County is in the ACE basin, a 1.6 million acre, mostly undeveloped area of wetlands in the watershed of the Ashepo, Combahee and Edisto Rivers. An 850-acre data center was proposed in Colleton County inside the ACE basin in 2025.

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Colleton County settled the lawsuit by establishing a “Data Center Exclusion Area,” where no datacenters can be built. The area includes the proposed site for the data center, as well as areas around the three rivers of the ACE Basin. Colleton County’s exclusion area does not include town limits.

Beaufort County

Beaufort County’s Planning Commission voted on Oct. 5 to send a to County Council for its approval. The moratorium would last for 9 months, and pauses review of applications or issuing building permits for data centers, according to the proposed moratorium.

The moratorium gives the county time to learn about the potential impacts of data centers, review the county’s zoning ordinances, seek public input and address community concerns, according to the planning commission.

It also proposed three future steps the county could take after the moratorium ends: prohibit data centers, regulate data centers or take no action. There are no data centers proposed in the county at this time.

The idea of a moratorium was sparked by the county’s Natural Resources Committee back in August. County Council Chairwoman Alice Howard, also a member of the committee, cited the proposed Colleton County data center as a reason for the moratorium at a Sept. 8 meeting.

“That’s what concerns me,” Howard said. “We still have a few large tracts of land in northern Beaufort County.”

The committee voted 7-0 to direct county staff to prepare a nine-month moratorium and ordinance. The Planning Commission’s proposed moratorium is not on the agenda of County Council’s meeting on Monday, Oct. 12. The moratorium must be passed after three readings to be implemented.

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