Updated Oct. 6, 2026. On Sept. 24, 2026, the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners adopted the Large-Scale Data Center Moratorium ordinance, a temporary pause on new zoning and Comprehensive Plan filings for data centers of 50 megawatts and up in unincorporated Palm Beach County. This guide now covers what was decided, what keeps moving, and the dates owners, contractors and suppliers should put on the calendar next.
The vote was 6 to 0, according to CBS12 and WPBF. It came on Item 5 of the county’s Sept. 24 BCC Zoning Hearing agenda, the second reading and adoption of the Large-Scale Data Center Moratorium, which staff had recommended for approval. The ordinance adds a Large-Scale Data Center use to the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) and opens a one-year zoning review window while the county writes permanent standards. Projects below 50 megawatts can still apply, approvals already granted stand, and city sites follow their own codes.
For owners, that turns a hearing-week question into a planning question. The next 12 months are a window to line up sites, load studies and engineering work so projects are ready when permanent rules arrive. What follows is built from the county’s own staff report and agenda, with local reporting attributed where the county has not yet posted a record. It is process journalism, not legal advice, so have land-use counsel read your specific folio.
The Sept. 24 vote closed a short, orderly track. Commissioners gave staff direction on July 7, approved permission to advertise 7 to 0 on July 14 and passed first reading 7 to 0 on Aug. 27, after the Zoning Commission recommended approval 8 to 1 on Aug. 6, according to the county’s Aug. 27 and Sept. 24 agendas. The timeline table below lays out each step and the dates still ahead.
For the statewide rules behind the 50 megawatt line, our guide Florida AI Data Centers: SB 484 and the 100 MW Tax Stack walks through the state law, and our Pembroke Park fee stack map covers a Broward city’s draft fee approach. Both sit on our South Florida data centers hub alongside this guide.
What the Board decided on Sept. 24
Commissioners approved the staff recommendation for second reading and adoption. The ordinance text staff recommended, published in the county’s Sept. 24 staff report, does two things. It adds a definition of a Large-Scale Data Center to Article 4 of the ULDC, and it directs that the county “shall not accept, process, or approve” zoning applications or related Comprehensive Plan amendment applications for that use in unincorporated Palm Beach County while the pause runs. The business impact estimate attached to the ordinance found no new fees, charges or regulatory costs for businesses and estimated that about two businesses a year would be unable to file a large-scale zoning application during the window.
Two refinements were added after the Aug. 6 Zoning Commission hearing and carried into the version before the Board. The definition was revised to track state statute more closely, and any data center application filed during the pause must include a demonstration, certified by a Florida-licensed Professional Engineer, that its anticipated monthly peak load is under 50 megawatts. We found no published report of further changes made from the dais on Sept. 24. The county had not yet posted a result list or the signed ordinance on its BCC Hearings and Meetings page when we checked on Oct. 6.
| Date | Step | Vote or status |
|---|---|---|
| July 7, 2026 | Board directs staff to draft a one-year pause for Large-Scale Data Centers | Direction to staff (county staff report) |
| July 14, 2026 | Permission to advertise | 7 to 0 |
| Aug. 6, 2026 | Zoning Commission recommends approval | 8 to 1 |
| Aug. 27, 2026 | First reading | 7 to 0 |
| Sept. 24, 2026 | Second reading and adoption | 6 to 0 (CBS12, WPBF) |
| Sept. 24, 2027 | Reported end of the one-year window, unless permanent rules take effect sooner | As reported by WPBF and WPTV |
What the temporary pause covers, and what keeps moving
The switch is power, not acreage or building type. The ordinance defines a Large-Scale Data Center as a single location with a data center on site and an anticipated monthly peak load of 50 megawatts or more, measured as the highest average load over a 15-minute interval. A single location means the same thing as a Site under the ULDC. Load is not added up across separate locations owned by the same customer, but every tenant sharing one location under a colocation or similar agreement counts toward that site’s total.
The pause applies only in unincorporated Palm Beach County, and it does not apply to properties damaged by Hurricanes Debby, Helene or Milton, a carve-out the staff report ties to state law on post-storm rebuilding. For pending files, the staff report draws a clear line. The pause covers new applications submitted on or after the ordinance’s effective date and any pending application the county had not yet deemed Sufficient. Applications deemed Sufficient before the effective date may continue under the rules in place at that time, subject to conditions of approval.
City sites are a separate track. Boca Raton, West Palm Beach and the county’s other municipalities keep their own zoning codes and calendars, so a site inside city limits is not covered by the county ordinance unless that city acts on its own. That makes the jurisdiction check the first line of any site memo.
Covered versus proceeding: a quick map
Here is how the adopted framework sorts the most common situations, based on the county’s staff report and CBS12 reporting on existing approvals. Each row reflects the ordinance text and the staff report, not a determination on any specific property.
| Situation | Status during the pause |
|---|---|
| New zoning or Comprehensive Plan filing for a site of 50 MW or more in the unincorporated county | Not accepted until the window ends or permanent rules take effect |
| New data center filing under 50 MW, with a Florida PE load certification | May be filed and processed |
| Pending application deemed Sufficient before the effective date | May continue under the prior rules, subject to conditions of approval |
| Pending application not yet deemed Sufficient | Covered by the pause |
| Existing zoning approvals | Not undone; CBS12 reports the earlier Project Tango approval for two 100,000-square-foot buildings remains in place |
| Property damaged by Hurricanes Debby, Helene or Milton | Exempt |
| Site inside a city | City code and calendar apply |
Treat that table as a starting map, not a ruling on a parcel. Sufficiency dates and load figures decide where a file lands, so pull the intake receipts and the county’s completeness letters before you brief a lender, buyer or tenant.
The sub-50 megawatt lane stays open
The most practical news in the ordinance is the lane it leaves open. Enterprise, edge and regional colocation projects that honestly pencil below 50 megawatts of monthly peak load can keep moving through county zoning during the window. For many owners, that is the near-term business.
The ticket is paperwork, done right. Any data center application filed during the pause must show an anticipated monthly peak load under 50 megawatts, calculated on the same 15-minute interval, with the documentation certified by a Professional Engineer licensed in Florida. WPBF reports that commissioners added language in August to keep one project from being split across several properties, and the single-location definition does that work in the text. Plan the load study around the full site, including every tenant.
That gives owners and brokers three clean pitches on the same county map. A large-scale campus in the unincorporated county is now a 2027 entitlement conversation. A sub-50 megawatt project with a certified load study is a filing you can prepare now. A city site runs on that city’s calendar.
AI is not the trigger by itself. A compact inference cluster, a hospital or university server room, or a regional colocation hall under the threshold sits in the open lane, while hyperscale training campuses at 50 megawatts and above wait for the permanent rules. Peak load, documented by an engineer, is what sorts them.
The Zoning Commission’s August discussion, summarized in the staff report, centered on applications that might come in just under 50 megawatts and on the need for supplemental standards. That conversation feeds the permanent rule writing, so sub-50 applicants should file complete applications and expect a careful read of their load documentation.
For the resilience and consumer side of the regional market, see our guide South Florida Data Centers: Safe, Hurricane-Resilient, and Consumer-Protected. It pairs well with this one when you brief a lender, tenant or investor on the broader South Florida picture.
What it means for owners, landlords and brokers
Landlords and land sellers marketing western or industrial-edge parcels for data center use can reframe listings around timing. Write LOI and PSA milestones to the window: a sub-50 megawatt path with an engineer’s load certification now, or a large-scale entitlement path keyed to the permanent rules and the reported Sept. 24, 2027 end date. Sites that already hold approvals, or files deemed Sufficient before the effective date, carry a scheduling advantage worth stating plainly in marketing.
Brokers should open every data center conversation with two facts: jurisdiction and peak load. An unincorporated parcel aimed at 50 megawatts or more is a 2027 play, while the same parcel aimed below the line, or a comparable city site, can move sooner. Buyers who use the year to assemble power letters, fiber routes and site studies will be first in line when standards publish.
AI infrastructure operators and developers can use the window to inventory every Palm Beach County folio: city or unincorporated, anticipated monthly peak load, filing and Sufficiency dates, utility interconnection status and any hurricane-damage history. Keep the zoning track and the utility track labeled separately in investor updates. The county ordinance governs land-use applications, while power service runs through the utility under the state rules covered in our SB 484 guide.
Where the work is for contractors, engineers and suppliers
Engineers have the most immediate opening. Every data center filing during the window needs a Florida PE certification of peak load, and the staff report lists the kinds of requirements the permanent rules may include: landscape buffers and separations, sound studies, utility coordination and development agreements. Acoustical consultants, landscape architects, civil engineers and utility coordinators who build data center experience now will be the bench owners call when those standards arrive.
Suppliers and trades in power, cooling, fiber, security and site work can track three pipelines at once: sub-50 megawatt projects moving now, approved sites moving under existing entitlements, and large campuses preparing for 2027. CBS12 reports the Project Tango developer has said it can pursue its earlier approved plan for two 100,000-square-foot buildings. For buyer meetings and certification, see our guides to the Palm Beach Business Expo on Nov. 12 and SBE certification across Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach.
How the permanent rules get written
The ordinance expires on the earlier of two dates: one year from its effective date, or the effective date of permanent ULDC or Comprehensive Plan amendments for Large-Scale Data Centers. The staff report lists sound, water and electrical power use, water disposal and compatibility with neighboring land as topics for study, with possible requirements on buffers, separations, sound studies, utility coordination and development agreements. Permanent amendments would come back through public hearings, as this ordinance did, so drafts and hearing dates will appear on county agendas.
On who helps write them, the Board also took up a late-added Item 5.5, a draft resolution creating a nine-member technical advisory committee. According to CBS12 and WPBF, commissioners did not approve the committee, with WPBF reporting the vote as 4 to 2, and directed staff to bring back a consultant contract instead. CBS12 and WPTV report preliminary cost estimates of $200,000 to $2 million, and no contract or spending was approved on Sept. 24. Firms with data center planning, power or acoustics credentials should watch county agendas for that contract item.
What to watch, and when
The calendar below pairs dates the county has published with items that have no date yet. Agendas and backup materials post about one week before each monthly BCC Zoning Hearing.
| When | What | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 22, 2026, 9:30 a.m. | Next monthly BCC Zoning Hearing (date set on the Sept. 24 agenda) | Check the agenda, posted about a week ahead, for any data center follow-up items |
| No date published | Consultant contract returns to the Board | Sets the scope and pace of permanent rule writing and may open a solicitation for qualified firms |
| No date published | Draft permanent ULDC or Comprehensive Plan standards | First look at buffer, sound, utility and agreement requirements |
| Sept. 24, 2027 | Reported outer end of the one-year window | Large-scale filings can resume, unless permanent rules take effect sooner |
Pull each monthly agenda from the county’s BCC Hearings and Meetings page and read the posted agenda over any secondhand summary. If the posted agenda moves a date, the posted agenda controls.
Who to contact
Route questions to offices rather than individual staff, and keep your folio number, load study and filing dates handy when you call. For intake and Sufficiency questions on a zoning file, start with the Zoning Division. The full department directory is on the PZB Contact Us page.
| Office | Use it for | How to reach |
|---|---|---|
| Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning and Building, Zoning Division | Application intake, Sufficiency status and whether a filing falls under the pause | 2300 N. Jog Road, West Palm Beach; 561-233-5200; PZB-ZonePOC@pbcgov.org; Zoning Division site |
| Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning and Building, Planning Division | Comprehensive Plan amendment questions | 561-233-5300; PZB-PlanPOC@pbcgov.org |
| PZB BCC Hearings and Meetings page | Agendas, staff reports and backup for each monthly zoning hearing | BCC Hearings and Meetings |
| Florida Board of Professional Engineers | Confirming that the engineer certifying your load study holds a Florida license | fbpe.org |
Reading the year ahead
The Sept. 24 vote gives Palm Beach County a defined year to set standards for its largest data center projects, and it leaves the rest of the market open. For owners, the work is sorting parcels by jurisdiction and peak load. For engineers and trades, it is building the credentials the permanent rules will call for. For investors, it is a firm date on the calendar instead of an open question.
We will update this guide when the county posts the signed ordinance, the consultant contract item or the first draft standards. Until then, the staff report linked below is the best public read of the text that was before the Board on Sept. 24.
Key Facts for Owners and Search
What did Palm Beach County decide on Sept. 24, 2026?
The Board of County Commissioners adopted the Large-Scale Data Center Moratorium ordinance on second reading, 6 to 0 according to CBS12 and WPBF. It adds a Large-Scale Data Center use to the county’s Unified Land Development Code and pauses new zoning and related Comprehensive Plan filings for that use in unincorporated Palm Beach County while permanent standards are written.
Which projects does the temporary pause cover?
It covers data centers at a single location with an anticipated monthly peak load of 50 megawatts or more, measured as the highest average load over 15 minutes and including all colocation tenants at that site. It applies only in unincorporated Palm Beach County. City sites follow city codes, and properties damaged by Hurricanes Debby, Helene or Milton are exempt.
Can a data center under 50 megawatts still apply?
Yes. Data center applications can be filed during the pause if they show an anticipated monthly peak load under 50 megawatts, calculated on the same 15-minute interval. The documentation must be certified by a Professional Engineer licensed in Florida, and load is assessed across the whole site, so plan the engineering study before the zoning filing.
How long does the Large-Scale Data Center Moratorium last?
The ordinance expires one year from its effective date, or sooner if permanent ULDC or Comprehensive Plan amendments for large-scale data centers take effect first. WPBF and WPTV report an end date of Sept. 24, 2027. Commissioners directed staff to bring back a consultant contract to help draft those standards, and no date for that item has been published.
What happens to applications and approvals already in place?
Existing approvals are not undone, CBS12 reports. Under the county staff report, applications deemed Sufficient before the ordinance took effect may continue under the rules in place at that time, subject to conditions of approval. New filings and pending files not yet deemed Sufficient fall under the pause, so confirm your completeness date with the Zoning Division.
Sources
- Palm Beach County PZB, BCC Zoning Hearing agenda and amendments, Sept. 24, 2026 (PDF)
- Palm Beach County, ULDC Revisions Staff Report, Large-Scale Data Center Moratorium, second reading and adoption, Sept. 24, 2026 (PDF)
- Palm Beach County, draft resolution for an Emerging Issues Technical Advisory Committee, Item 5.5 backup (PDF)
- Palm Beach County, Business Impact Estimate for the Large-Scale Data Center Moratorium ordinance (PDF)
- Palm Beach County PZB, BCC Zoning Hearing agenda, Aug. 27, 2026 (PDF)
- Palm Beach County PZB, BCC Hearings and Meetings
- Palm Beach County PZB, Contact Us
- CBS12, Sept. 24, 2026, on the vote, existing approvals and the consultant direction
- WPBF, Sept. 24, 2026, on the vote and the end date
- WPTV, Sept. 24, 2026, on the vote
- WPTV, on the consultant direction and cost estimates
