Cobb County will hold three public hearings in October on proposed rules that would force data center developers to get commission approval before building in unincorporated areas.
The proposed zoning changes come as the county's moratorium on new data center applications ticks toward a February 2027, expiration. Both candidates for governor held separate press conferences in Cobb County in September, turning the local moratorium into a flashpoint in the statewide race.
New rules on the table
The Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Aug. 11 to extend the moratorium for six more months, the Marietta Daily Journal reported. The original pause began in February 2026 while commissioners researched how to regulate the facilities.
Cobb's 1972 zoning code had no specific provisions for data centers. Before the moratorium, developers could build them by right in industrial zones without commission approval, according to East Cobb News. No data centers have been formally proposed in unincorporated Cobb as of August 2026.
At a Sept. 23 work session, commissioners reviewed draft language that would require a special land use permit for every data center project, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. Key provisions include:
- A 300-foot setback from residential properties, churches, schools and daycares
- A 50-foot building height cap
- Noise limits of 65 decibels during the day and 55 at night
- A decommissioning bond approved by the county attorney before a certificate of occupancy is issued
Commissioner JoAnn Birrell said after the Aug. 11 vote that the permit process would give the public input on each project. Commissioner Erick Allen said the proposed rules needed more work before the moratorium could be lifted.
Governor's race spotlight
The debate extends well beyond Cobb. During the 2026 legislative session, lawmakers from both parties introduced about 20 bills aimed at regulating data centers. None reached the governor's desk. Georgia has no statewide regulatory framework for the facilities.
Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms wants a statewide pause on new construction. "Let us take a pause, assess fully, assess comprehensively, assess the impact that these data centers are having on our environment, on our utility bills, what it means to have them in communities," Bottoms said at her Cobb County press conference, as first reported by the Georgia Recorder.
Bottoms said the pause would be among her first priorities as governor, though she was unsure whether it could be done by executive order or would require legislation. Georgia Public Service Commissioner Peter Hubbard, a Democrat elected to the PSC in 2025, joined her and called for data centers to use clean energy and operate without nondisclosure agreements.
Republican nominee Rick Jackson argues local governments should keep control. He pitched data centers as a way to cut residential property taxes, saying some counties expect they "will have zero property taxes after the data center goes in." The Georgia Recorder reported Jackson has invested in a Texas data center that faced local opposition. Georgia Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Chris Clark, whose organization has endorsed Jackson, said the plan lets communities negotiate with developers while diversifying their tax base.
How to weigh in
Three public hearings are scheduled at 100 Cherokee Street in Marietta:
- Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 9 a.m. before the Planning Commission
- Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 9 a.m. before the Board of Commissioners
- Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. before the Board of Commissioners, followed by a vote
