Summary
After three-plus hours of testimony, the court rejected the proposed data center rules 5-4 and kept the moratorium, ordering a consultant to help rewrite them. Critics cited missing decommissioning bonds, weak noise standards, and large data centers still being allowed in IPD zones.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 4
- Last 30 days
- 0
Last discussed Sep 1, 2026.
Impact analysis
A consultant will be hired at an as-yet-undetermined cost; the county also faces potential legal exposure either way.
Residents opposed to data centers in IPD zones gain continued protection under the moratorium.
Landowners and economic development interests who want clear rules; proponents argue legal risk now grows the longer the moratorium lasts.
Mentions & discussions (4)
Oldham County Fiscal Court — September 1, 2026
The court advanced amended data center zoning rules — 10 MW power cap, 110,000 sq ft medium cap, mailed neighbor notice — with a public hearing October 6. A resident raised concern about the 90-day rule, but the county attorney said it doesn't apply to text amendments.
Oldham County Fiscal Court — August 24, 2026
The county is racing to write data center regulations it currently doesn't have, after rejecting two Planning Commission versions. The stakes: without rules on the books, a data center developer could arrive — as Western Hospitality Partners did — completely unannounced. A moratorium remains in place for now.
Oldham County Fiscal Court — August 18, 2026
After three-plus hours of testimony, the court rejected the proposed data center rules 5-4 and kept the moratorium, ordering a consultant to help rewrite them. Critics cited missing decommissioning bonds, weak noise standards, and large data centers still being allowed in IPD zones.
Oldham County Planning Commission — June 23, 2026
After more than a year of work, the commission tweaked and forwarded data center regulations to Fiscal Court, keeping large data centers allowed in IPD zoning over resident objections. Residents cited noise, water, power-grid strain, and property values, and pushed the Kentucky Resources Council model ordinance.
Related development
Data center zoning text amendment KOC 26.920.7 (Sections 250-340)
Data centers remain barred under the moratorium while the rules are rewritten; large facilities in IPD zones remain the flashpoint.
Section 250-340 Data Centers text amendment
Sets the ground rules for where and how data centers of all sizes could ever build in Oldham County, with large facilities still allowed in IPD over strong public objection.
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