Middletown Township Introduces Ordinance to Ban Data Centers
Middletown is the latest New Jersey municipality to consider restrictions on data centers.
The Middletown Township Committee has introduced an ordinance that would prohibit data centers in every zoning district, with a public hearing and final vote scheduled for later this month. Middletown joins a growing list of New Jersey municipalities that have adopted or are considering restrictions on data centers.
Neighboring Holmdel recently adopted its own ordinance restricting data centers. Before the ordinance was adopted, the township received an application to construct a data center at Bell Works. That proposal, submitted under the previously allowed zoning uses, is now being considered by the township.
Ordinance 2026-3536 is not yet in effect. The committee is scheduled to consider final passage on September 21, 2026, following public comment on the proposed restriction.
What the ordinance would change
The Township Committee introduced the measure on September 8. The ordinance states that Middletown currently has no zoning standards governing data centers and cites potential community impacts associated with certain large-scale commercial data center operations.1
If adopted, the measure would amend Middletown’s schedule of permitted uses to list data centers as prohibited in all zoning districts. In plain language, the zoning code would not allow a data center as an approved land use anywhere in the township.2
The ordinance also states that New Jersey has adopted some reporting and energy requirements for data centers but has not established uniform development standards. Middletown’s proposal would address the issue through its local zoning code rather than creating standards under which a facility could operate.
The document does not identify particular properties or pending data center applications. Its stated purpose is to establish data centers as a prohibited use throughout Middletown.
Public hearing and next steps
The Township Committee is scheduled to hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. on September 21. Interested members of the public may address the committee about the ordinance before it is considered for final passage and adoption.3
No final decision has been made. If the committee adopts the ordinance, its restrictions would take effect after final passage, adoption and publication as required by law.
Notes
- Township of Middletown, “Ordinance 2026-3536: Ordinance Establishing Data Centers as a Prohibited Use in All Zoning Districts,” introduced September 8, 2026, 1.
- Township of Middletown, “Ordinance 2026-3536,” 2.
- Township of Middletown, public notice for Ordinance 2026-3536, September 2026, 1.