New bill would create critical pause button for data center development in Pa.
Fast-tracking legislation would give municipalities time to write new land-use laws
Rep. Paul Friel June 17, 2026 | 4:24 PM
HARRISBURG, June 17 – A fast-tracking state House bill empowering Pennsylvania municipalities to pause data center projects advanced unanimously from the House Local Government Committee this morning, said the legislation’s sponsor, state Rep. Paul Friel, D-Chester.
Under H.B. 2496, which Friel said is expected to pass the House as early as next week, municipalities could enact up to a 180-day pause on data center application considerations by adopting a resolution. During a pause municipalities could adopt, amend or repeal parts of their land use ordinances relating to data centers. Critically, the pause dates back to the moment the public was notified of the meeting agenda, and any application filed during the pause is subject to the new rules.
“This bill gives Pennsylvania officials – who have an extremely tough job right now managing this unprecedented sector growth – the time needed to research, draft and pass comprehensive land-use ordinances updated and fit for data centers,” Friel said. “Data centers are not a customer that all states saw coming. It will allow our local elected supervisors and councilmembers to develop protections for their communities, who face real negative consequences from unchecked development.”
In Pennsylvania, a municipality may use its zoning powers to regulate development, but it cannot outright prohibit a specific development. Data centers, which are large buildings housing computer microchips, servers and cooling systems, present significant zoning risks to local communities. They are known to consume millions of gallons of water, generate industrial noise pollution and place enormous pressure on the regional power grid. A large data center campus can rival the electricity demand of an entire city.
Currently, a municipality that needs time to plan has one option: a tool in Pennsylvania’s Municipalities Planning Code called a municipal curative amendment. To use this approach, the local government must formally declare its own zoning ordinance invalid and even then, it can be blocked entirely if a developer files before it is enacted. Additionally, it can only be used once every three years. Friel noted that this curative amendment mechanism is insufficient for the current data center crisis, stating that "local governments need strong tools that give them breathing room to plan and that prevent the 'race to file' we are seeing from data center developers."
"Our local communities should never be forced to make permanent, long-term decisions under the ticking clock of a sudden data center application,” said state Rep. Kyle Mullins, D-Lackawanna, a cosponsor of the bill. “House Bill 2496 gives our municipalities a vital 180-day window to catch their breath, study the real-world impacts on our infrastructure and water supply, and update their zoning laws accordingly. This is about restoring the balance of power, putting the brakes on aggressive out-of-state developers and ensuring that local voices dictate the future of our backyards."
“Municipal officials across Pennsylvania are being asked to make decisions about massive data center developments without having the tools, information, or local regulations in place to properly evaluate them,” said state Rep. Kyle Donahue, D-Lackawanna, a cosponsor of the bill. “This legislation gives communities the opportunity to take a brief pause, gather the facts, engage residents and develop thoughtful ordinances that protect public safety and quality of life before these projects move forward. Good planning takes time, and local governments deserve the ability to make informed decisions.”
Bill cosponsors also said that the bill would also end the “race to the courthouse” created when a municipality declares its own ordinance invalid. H.B. 2496 would provide a clean, statutory 180-day safe harbor that temporarily freezes the clock uniformly.
"Currently, the law leaves it to our local municipalities to approve or disapprove data center plans. Too often these local officials are blindsided by multi-billion-dollar tech conglomerates, and they are playing catch-up with zero breathing room," said state Rep. Chris Pielli, D-Chester, who cosponsored the bill. "We cannot allow the rapid expansion of data centers to outpace the safety and logic of our local zoning. House Bill 2496 helps our local governments by giving our leaders the time, autonomy and power to make decisions that serve the best interests of their residents."