HB 2496 — An Act amending the act of July 31, 1968 (P.L.805, No.247), known as the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, in zoning, providing for pause on data center proposals.

PRINTER'S NO.     3381

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 2496
                                               Session of
                                                 2026

     INTRODUCED BY FRIEL, DONAHUE, MULLINS, PIELLI, STEELE, HILL-
        EVANS, VITALI, SAPPEY, HANBIDGE, BOROWSKI, SHUSTERMAN,
        PASHINSKI, OTTEN AND BOYD, MAY 7, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MAY 8, 2026


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of July 31, 1968 (P.L.805, No.247), entitled
 2      "An act to empower cities of the second class A, and third
 3      class, boroughs, incorporated towns, townships of the first
 4      and second classes including those within a county of the
 5      second class and counties of the second through eighth
 6      classes, individually or jointly, to plan their development
 7      and to govern the same by zoning, subdivision and land
 8      development ordinances, planned residential development and
 9      other ordinances, by official maps, by the reservation of
10      certain land for future public purpose and by the acquisition
11      of such land; to promote the conservation of energy through
12      the use of planning practices and to promote the effective
13      utilization of renewable energy sources; providing for the
14      establishment of planning commissions, planning departments,
15      planning committees and zoning hearing boards, authorizing
16      them to charge fees, make inspections and hold public
17      hearings; providing for mediation; providing for transferable
18      development rights; providing for appropriations, appeals to
19      courts and penalties for violations; and repealing acts and
20      parts of acts," in zoning, providing for pause on data center
21      proposals.
22      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
23   hereby enacts as follows:
24      Section 1.    The act of July 31, 1968 (P.L.805, No.247), known
25   as the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, is amended by
26   adding a section to read:
27      Section 607.1.    Pause on Data Center Proposals.--(a)   The
 1   governing body of a municipality may adopt a resolution at a
 2   public meeting to impose a pause on the submission to the
 3   municipality of applications for data center developments under
 4   a zoning ordinance.
 5      (b)   The duration of the pause may not exceed 180 days and
 6   shall be retroactive to the time at which the governing body of
 7   the municipality gave public notice of the meeting as required
 8   under 65 Pa.C.S. § 709 (relating to public notice).
 9      (c)   During the pause, the municipality may adopt, amend or
10   repeal provisions of a zoning ordinance relating to data center
11   developments in accordance with law. An application for a data
12   center development submitted during the pause shall be subject
13   to the zoning ordinance provisions as adopted, amended or
14   repealed by the municipality under this subsection.
15      (d)   As used in this section, the term "data center" shall
16   mean a facility or group of facilities, including ancillary uses
17   or associated structures located on the same tract or parcel of
18   land, that are predominantly used to house working servers or
19   similar data storage systems and that have an uninterruptible
20   energy supply or generator backup power, or both, cooling
21   systems, towers and other temperature control infrastructure.
22      Section 2.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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