Starke County commissioners have adopted a new zoning ordinance prohibiting commercial data centers across all zoning districts under the jurisdiction of the Starke County Plan Commission.
The commissioners approved Ordinance No. 2026-34 on Monday, October 19. The ordinance prohibits commercial data centers as both primary and accessory uses, including within planned unit developments.
The ban covers large-scale data centers, cryptocurrency mining facilities and server farms. Certain telecommunications infrastructure and qualifying internal IT rooms used by otherwise permitted businesses, industries or agricultural operations are excluded.
According to the ordinance, county commissioners determined that commercial data centers pose concerns involving water consumption, strain on the electrical grid and low-frequency noise. The county also cited potential impacts on local aquifers, agricultural land and rural infrastructure.
The restrictions extend beyond the data centers themselves. The ordinance also prohibits industrial cooling systems that continuously evaporate water as their primary cooling method, utility-scale substations and battery energy storage systems when their primary designated purpose is to supply power to a prohibited commercial data center.