Maricopa County is the latest Arizona government to set up data center zoning rules

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors overhauled its zoning ordinance at a meeting Wednesday.

One major update is a change in how the county defines a data center.

Board Chair Thomas Galvin says the modernized ordinance was about six months in the making.

Multiple municipalities — such as Phoenix — have addressed zoning for data centers in recent years as the facilities have come under greater public scrutiny.

"We’re a good hospitable place for business and also a good conducive area for economic development. But it's up to us, elected officials and especially us at the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors who care about our constituent concerns, that these projects be located at appropriate and reasonable locations," Galvin said.

It’s the first time data centers have been defined in county zoning rules, and it only allows for them to be built in some industrial areas.

“You need to make sure that you're not having a detrimental impact on the area. Obviously, we don't want people to be, data centers to be located near people or residential areas,” Galvin said.

Galvin noted that county zoning only applies to unincorporated communities.

"So any data centers that would want to be located in Phoenix or Chandler are subject to the jurisdiction of Phoenix and Chandler. Our jurisdiction is over the unincorporated parts of Maricopa County, which is basically fanned out around the cities," Galvin said.

Cities within Maricopa county can still set up their own laws dictating where the power-hungry facilities can be built.