Georgia · Data center compliance
Georgia data center compliance guide: federal, state and local requirements
Georgia remains one of the friendliest states for data centers at the state level: the 2026 General Assembly kept the sales tax exemption, and the Public Service Commission's large-load rule makes new Georgia Power customers over 100 MW cover the grid costs they cause. The tightening is happening county by county.
Updated
Serving City of Atlanta, Fulton & Douglas counties, Coweta County, Newton County, Troup County (LaGrange), Jackson, Hall, Bartow & exurbs and DeKalb County in Georgia.
At a glance
Georgia data center rules at a glance
2031
Data center sales tax exemption runs through 2031 after 2026 repeal bills died
100 MW+
New Georgia Power customers who must pay their grid costs under the PSC rule
Dec. 23, 2026
Coweta County's data center moratorium expires
End of 2026
PSC investigation of RTP fuel costs due
Key takeaways for Georgia data center projects
- Georgia data centers answer to Georgia EPD (air, watershed and land protection), the Public Service Commission, the Dept. of Community Affairs and regional commissions, the Safety Fire Commissioner, and county and city governments.
- The PSC's January 2025 rule makes Georgia Power customers over 100 MW pay grid costs, accept minimum bills and submit contracts for PSC review.
- Coweta, DeKalb, Cherokee and other counties have paused applications while writing data center ordinances; DeKalb’s pause, begun in 2025, now runs to Mar. 30, 2027.
- Expect repeal, disclosure and NDA bills to return in the 2027 session.
Recent and pending laws
What’s changed for Georgia data centers
The rules moving fastest right now. Each entry shows its status and the dates to watch.
Date: 2026 session
SB 34 / HB 1063
Keep data center grid costs off residential bills; longer contracts, deposits
Status: Did not pass
Date: Nov. 20, 2025
DCA DRI rules
Data centers 300,000–500,000 sq ft+ get regional review; water and power estimates
Status: Adopted
Date: Aug. 2026
Georgia Power–OpenAI contract
3.2 GW Effingham County load; OpenAI pays full service cost, minimum bills and collateral
Status: Approved
Date: July 2026
PSC RTP fuel-cost investigation
Reviews whether data centers on Real-Time Pricing shift fuel costs to others
Status: Due end of 2026
Date: 2025–Mar. 2027
County moratoria
Coweta, DeKalb, Cherokee and others pause applications
Status: Active
Date: Apr. 2026
SB 410 / SB 408 / SB 436
Repeal, sunset or suspend the sales tax exemption
Status: Died
Date: 2026 session
SB 421 / HB 528
Energy and water disclosure for 30 MW+ (HB 528); ban on local NDAs over usage data
Status: Did not pass
Date: Jan. 23, 2025
PSC large-load rule
100 MW+ customers pay grid costs; minimum bills; contract review
Status: In effect
Who regulates what
Four layers of oversight on every Georgia project
A compliant Georgia data center has to clear federal rules, state agency permits, local approvals and utility requirements at the same time.
Federal
- U.S. EPA (air, water, SPCC, EPCRA)
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- OSHA
- FAA
- FERC / NERC
State
- Georgia EPD (Air Protection, Watershed Protection, Land Protection)
- Georgia Public Service Commission
- Dept. of Community Affairs / regional commissions
- Office of Insurance & Safety Fire Commissioner
- Dept. of Revenue / GDEcD
Local
- Counties, cities and development authorities
Utility & grid
- Georgia Power
- EMCs (e.g., via Oglethorpe Power)
- MEAG cities
- Water and sewer authorities
Lifecycle
Georgia requirements from site selection to decommissioning
01
Site selection
Check the county ordinance and any active moratorium, whether DRI review applies (data centers now have their own threshold), and water and power capacity at the site.
02
Permitting & construction
EPD air permits (often synthetic minor) for generator fleets, NPDES construction stormwater, state minimum building and fire codes, and county land disturbance permits.
03
Operations
Air permit limits and reporting, PSC-reviewed Georgia Power contract terms and minimum bills, water use and discharge permits, and sales tax exemption compliance.
04
Decommissioning
Close fuel tanks under EPD rules, terminate air permits, handle batteries and electronics properly and meet county restoration conditions.
On your jobsite
What this means on your jobsite
Site selection
In Georgia, most of the risk is local: the county’s rules and the ground under the site. Check both before you close.
Soils and foundations
Metro Atlanta and North Georgia sit on Piedmont residual soils, where large mat foundations have settled well beyond their predicted values.
You'll need: geotechnical borings and early testing to confirm the design assumptions
Environmental history
Lenders and buyers will expect a Phase I environmental site assessment before acquisition, and a Phase II if it flags concerns.
You'll need: an ASTM-based Phase I in the diligence file
County rules and moratoria
Coweta, DeKalb, Cherokee and other counties paused data center applications in 2026 while writing ordinances on noise, water and buffers. Data centers of 300,000 square feet or more in urban and suburban metro Atlanta, or 500,000 elsewhere, also trigger DCA’s Developments of Regional Impact review.
You'll need: the county’s current ordinance and moratorium status, plus any DRI filing
Who runs inspections
Georgia’s state minimum codes, now the 2024 IBC with Georgia amendments, apply statewide, but each county or city runs its own permitting and inspection program.
You'll need: a decision now on who will act as your independent inspection and testing agency
Permitting & construction
Georgia permitting runs through EPD and the county, and both expect field records, not just plans. Start building the file on day one.
Special inspections
Georgia’s 2024 IBC requires third-party special inspections of structural concrete, steel, welding and fireproofing, reviewed by the local building official.
You'll need: an approved special inspection agency and daily reports the building official will accept
Welds and structural connections
Structural steel, pipe supports and generator skids need weld inspection and nondestructive testing before they’re covered up.
Construction stormwater
Disturbing an acre or more needs EPD NPDES construction stormwater coverage and an erosion control plan, and the permit requires turbidity sampling after qualifying rain events.
You'll need: inspections by certified personnel, documented throughout the build
Generators and fuel
Generator fleets need a Georgia EPD air permit, often as a synthetic minor source with fuel or run-hour caps, and the fuel storage brings tank rules and a federal SPCC plan.
You'll need: generator specifications, run-hour limits and tank documentation ready to file
Commissioning before energization
Under PSC rules, Georgia Power customers of 100 MW or more sign long-term contracts with minimum bills, so a late energization costs real money.
You'll need: commissioning records and integrated systems test results showing the systems perform as designed
Operations
Once you’re live, compliance becomes a matter of records: who tested what, when, and against which standard.
Electrical maintenance
NFPA 70B is now an enforceable standard with required maintenance intervals and condition assessments for electrical equipment. Insurers and AHJs increasingly ask for the records.
Backup power readiness
NFPA 110 calls for regular generator exercise and load testing, and your EPD air permit caps the hours those runs can use. Log every run so your test and permit records match.
Cooling and mechanical reliability
Pumps, chillers and CRAH fans fail gradually, and the warning signs show up in vibration data first.
Monitoring you can trust
Environmental and power sensors drive alarms, PUE and the water and power figures that counties, DRI reviews and EPD withdrawal permits ask for. Uncalibrated sensors produce numbers you can’t defend.
Decommissioning
The fastest way to lose value at end of life is a site with undocumented contamination or orphaned tanks.
Tank closure
Underground fuel tanks must be closed under EPD’s UST rules, with 30 days’ notice, soil sampling and a closure report.
You'll need: inspection and sampling before the tanks come out
Batteries and hazardous materials
UPS and battery energy storage systems need proper removal, handling and recycling records, as do any EPCRA-reportable chemicals on site.
Exit assessment
A post-operations environmental assessment protects the seller and the next owner.
Key local jurisdictions
Where Georgia rules get local
Zoning, noise, water and moratoria vary county by county. Confirm the current ordinance before you file.
City of Atlanta
A special use permit is required citywide; data centers are barred near the BeltLine and transit.
Fulton & Douglas counties
Established industrial corridors; Douglas paused applications in 2025, and big campuses still draw opposition.
Coweta County
180-day moratorium through Dec. 23, 2026 while the ordinance is tightened.
Newton County
Hyperscale campuses and on-site power; scrutiny of permit timing.
Troup County (LaGrange)
A 90-day 2025 moratorium paused data center applications while the county amended its Unified Development Ordinance.
Jackson, Hall, Bartow & exurbs
Growing pipeline; water and power capacity can delay approvals.
DeKalb County
Pause in place since July 2025, extended to Mar. 30, 2027 after draft rules were rejected; a developer has sued.
How ATS + SGS help
One testing, inspection and certification partner for the whole build
Construction & code compliance
Materials testing, special inspections and nondestructive testing so your Georgia build passes inspection the first time.
Electrical, fire & commissioning
Electrical and fire protection testing, generator and UPS verification, and commissioning support before go-live.
Environmental & due diligence
Environmental compliance support, technical due diligence for investors and insurers, and ESG assurance.
FAQ
Georgia data center compliance questions
A Georgia data center typically needs a Georgia EPD air permit for its backup generators (large fleets are often permitted as synthetic minor sources), NPDES construction stormwater coverage, a county land disturbance permit, county or city zoning approval (with DRI review for large projects), and building and fire permits. Georgia Power customers over 100 MW also need a PSC-reviewed contract.
At the state level, Georgia data centers deal mainly with Georgia EPD (Air Protection, Watershed Protection, Land Protection); Georgia Public Service Commission; Dept. of Community Affairs / regional commissions; Office of Insurance & Safety Fire Commissioner; Dept. of Revenue / GDEcD. Local approvals come from Counties, cities and development authorities, and interconnection and service terms come from Georgia Power, EMCs (e.g., via Oglethorpe Power), MEAG cities, Water and sewer authorities.
The 2026 General Assembly kept the data center sales tax exemption (repeal bills SB 410, SB 408 and SB 436 died) and did not pass disclosure, NDA or ratepayer-protection bills such as SB 34 and HB 1063. The PSC opened an investigation into Real-Time Pricing fuel costs, due by the end of 2026, approved a 3.2 GW Georgia Power contract for OpenAI, and several counties adopted moratoria.
Georgia has no statewide moratorium, but Coweta, DeKalb, Cherokee and other counties have paused data center applications while writing ordinances. Coweta’s 180-day moratorium runs through Dec. 23, 2026, and DeKalb’s, in place since July 2025, through Mar. 30, 2027.
Yes. Bills to repeal, sunset or suspend the exemption died in April 2026, so it remains available through 2031. Check investment and job thresholds against the Georgia Dept. of Revenue's current table.
Every U.S. data center must meet EPA Clean Air Act rules for stationary engines (NSPS Subparts IIII and JJJJ, NESHAP Subpart ZZZZ), Clean Water Act stormwater and wetlands requirements (including U.S. Army Corps Section 404 permits), SPCC plans for diesel storage over the federal threshold, EPCRA Tier II chemical reporting, OSHA construction and electrical safety standards, and FAA notice for tall structures and cranes. FERC and NERC rules shape large-load grid interconnection.
This page summarizes Georgia data center requirements as of October 12, 2026 for general information. It is not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the relevant agency or counsel before filing.
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Other states
Data center compliance guides by state
Georgia
No statewide limits: the sales tax break survived 2026 and PSC rules make 100 MW+ loads pay their grid costs, but Coweta, DeKalb, Cherokee and other counties have paused applications.