Text amendment
The UDO text amendment for hyperscale data centers in Forsyth County has been submitted. You can read the full document below.
Petition for a Text Amendment of the Unified Development Ordinances (UDO) to establish:
- Use definitions
- Use-specific conditions
- Development standards
for hyperscale data centers in Forsyth County.
Forsyth County Data Center Briefing slides
Staff presentation from the September 14, 2026 Forsyth County Commissioners briefing on data center development.
Watch: Forsyth County’s Data Center Briefing
On September 14, Forsyth County staff briefed County Commissioners on data center development, including the current zoning framework, existing facilities, water and wastewater capacity, energy demands, and the legal challenges facing new data center regulations. The discussion also addressed potential next steps, including a moratorium and updated zoning definitions.
Watch the full presentation below.
Why Forsyth County zoning needs to change
Currently, data centers are grouped under a catch-all zoning category called Services A. Examples of uses currently grouped under Services A include:
- barber shops
- beauty shops
- shoe repair
- photographic studios
- watch and jewelry repair
- furniture repair
- custom picture framing
- small equipment repair
Modern data centers are not the same kind of land use as a barber shop, photography studio, or a small equipment repair shop.
The classification comes from an older framework for computer and data-processing uses. Since then, the scale and infrastructure demands of larger modern data centers have changed dramatically.
Large data centers can involve:
- Major electrical infrastructure
- Water demand
- Backup generators
- Cooling equipment
- Persistent noise
- Security fencing
- Large-scale land impacts
- Traffic and construction impacts
To help Forsyth County create clear standards for data centers, these facilities need their own zoning category.
The text amendment is the next step.
Due to down-zoning restrictions, the current amendment addresses hyperscale data centers. Read the submitted UDO text amendment, and ask Forsyth County Commissioners to support clear zoning rules for modern data centers.
About NDCRH
No Data Center Rural Hall is a resident-led group formed during the fight against Project Iron Spur, the proposed hyperscale data center that would have been built across from Rural Hall Town Hall.
On July 30, 2026, Forsyth County commissioners denied that rezoning. That was a major community victory, but the larger issue is not finished.
Forsyth County’s zoning rules still need to catch up with the scale, power demand, water use, noise, backup generators, and land-use impacts of modern data centers.
NDCRH still helps residents stay informed. We put source materials in one place and keep track of public meetings. We show people how to reach the officials who decide these cases. When another data center proposal shows up aimed at a rural community, we help neighbors organize and push back.
We are nonpartisan, resident-led, and focused on protecting Rural Hall and Forsyth County.