Pima County halts new data center permits for 120 days to update zoning rules

People living, working and spending time in unincorporated Pima County will not see new data center permit applications accepted or processed for the next 120 days, after the Board of Supervisors voted three to two Tuesday to pause the process. The temporary halt gives county staff time to rewrite zoning rules for large, modern data centers, facilities that county officials say could affect water supplies, electricity, air quality, neighborhood conditions and the environment.

The decision applies to new data centers in the unincorporated parts of Pima County. During the moratorium, county staff will work on regulations intended to address facilities that existing zoning rules were not specifically designed to govern. The county’s current rules predate the modern data center projects now being considered, according to the explanation presented with the measure. The goal of the rewrite is to establish standards before additional proposals move through the county’s permitting system.

Supervisors framed the issue as one involving the safety, health and well-being of residents, as well as the protection of natural resources. Large data centers can require substantial amounts of water and electricity, county leaders said. They also raised concerns about possible effects on air quality, heat and noise. For a region where residents and officials closely weigh demands on local resources, the pause creates time to examine those effects and decide what requirements should apply to future projects.

Supervisor Andrés Cano, who represents District 5, supported the moratorium. Cano said the county should establish clear standards in case data center projects come to Pima County. In his view, those standards should protect natural resources, neighborhoods and people who already live in the county. His position reflects the argument that the county should set its expectations before projects are permitted, rather than develop rules after facilities have already been approved or built.

Supervisor Rex Scott of District 1 opposed the measure. Scott said his vote was based on legal guidance provided to the board by the county attorney’s office. He had supported amendments to the resolution but said the legal advice was the reason he ultimately voted against the moratorium. The measure passed despite his opposition and the vote of one other supervisor, with the board approving it by a three to two margin.

Residents and organized community opponents also urged supervisors to adopt the pause. Reed Spurling, a member of the No Desert Data Center Coalition, spoke in favor of the moratorium during the call to the audience. The coalition wants the county to prevent proposals from entering the county during the rulemaking period, while officials develop stronger requirements. Spurling said the group ultimately wants the process to lead to a complete ban on large data centers in Pima County.

Spurling described the debate as extending beyond the facilities themselves. He connected data centers to land, water, money and power, including both electricity and political influence. He said corporations were seeking control over those resources outside a democratic process, and argued that residents could prevent that outcome. The coalition’s position is therefore broader than support for a temporary permitting pause. It is calling for stricter rules and, ultimately, no large data centers in the county.

The moratorium is not a permanent prohibition, and it does not resolve whether data centers will eventually be allowed under revised standards. Instead, it establishes a window for county staff to prepare new zoning language. Once a draft is completed, it will go first to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The proposal will then return to the Board of Supervisors, which will consider whether to adopt the updated rules. That future review will give county officials another opportunity to address the concerns raised over resources, neighborhoods, health, safety and environmental effects.

For Tucson area residents, the vote begins a public policy process that could shape how large technology facilities are evaluated in Pima County. The immediate effect is limited to new permits in unincorporated areas, but the subjects at issue, including water, electricity, heat, noise and air quality, affect the broader community discussion about growth and development. Until the updated zoning rules move through the commission and return to the supervisors, the county’s temporary position is clear: new data center permits will remain on hold while officials determine what standards should govern them.