What Your Parish Council Is Doing About Data Centers
St. Charles Parish spent the spring of 2026 deciding whether and how to regulate data centers. On June 1 the council settled it. Here is what was decided, what the rules now require, and what they still leave out.
The rules are now in place, and no data center has been proposed. The council adopted a data center zoning ordinance on June 1, 2026, before any developer applied to build one. There are still no plans, proposals or applications for a large-scale data center in the parish. Whatever you think of the pace of it, the parish wrote its rules first.
April 6, 2026: Moratorium Vote
The parish council voted 5 to 3 to reject an eight-month moratorium on new data centers. The moratorium would have paused any data center permitting until the parish could develop comprehensive regulations.
Why the Moratorium Mattered
A moratorium is not a ban. It is a pause. The question in April was whether to stop accepting data center permits while the parish finished writing its regulations, because at that point no data center rules existed at all. The council declined to pause, and instead finished the ordinance. It passed on June 1. The gap the moratorium was meant to cover is now closed by the ordinance itself. What that ordinance does and does not cover is set out below, and it matters, because once a facility is permitted, built and operating, there is very little a local government can do to change the terms after the fact.
What Each Side Argued
Against the Moratorium (5 votes)
Michael Mobley. Against
Holly Fonseca. Against. "Think carefully about the message you are sending. It's a very serious message. Our parish has welcomed industry for many years. I am concerned about the fear that has been unnecessarily instilled in our residents."
Heather Skiba. Against
Willie Comardelle. Against
Bob Fisher. Against
Their position: we can write regulations and stay open for business at the same time.
For the Moratorium (3 votes)
Michelle O'Daniels. For. "I am here to represent the people. Until these regulations are in place then I am not in favor of just leaving an open gap with no regulations on the data centers. This is a protective measure while we are completely exposed with no regulations." She added: "Maybe we don't like the optics, or industry doesn't like the word 'moratorium.' My priority is my residents and my residents deserve protection."
LaSandra Wilson. For
Walter Piliè. For. "I really believe this is being rushed. I have probably little sympathy for the people who are promoting going forward with this without having the proper work done." He added: "If you think you are going to pull this off in five weeks, you are delusional."
Their position: regulate first, then open the door. A temporary pause protects residents while the parish gets the rules right.
Source: St. Charles Herald Guide, April 2026
What Parish President Matthew Jewell Said
Parish President Jewell, who had introduced the zoning ordinance, argued against the moratorium: "The only thing that Richland Parish and St. Charles Parish have in common is that they're both in Louisiana and humans live there. We're sitting here talking about the big data centers. And again, based on our geographic location and our land constraints, we're not a candidate for the Meta data center." Here's why Mr. Jewell is wrong.
Source: St. Charles Herald Guide, April 2026
What Residents Said
Residents spoke during public comment. Joseph Coco argued: "An eight-month moratorium pause would give the parish time to study what other jurisdictions have done and write regulations that reflect what 'data center' actually means in 2026." Joey Edwards, who lives near the Meta data center site in Richland Parish, said: "That data center was forced on that community and I don't want to see that happen here. This is very important to this parish. From a proactive approach, this is the citizens standing up, being proactive, saying, 'we don't want this.'"
Source: St. Charles Herald Guide, April 2026
The Ordinance the Council Adopted
Parish President Matthew Jewell introduced the zoning ordinance. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended it on May 7, 2026 with three changes, and the Parish Council adopted it on June 1, 2026 by a unanimous vote of 9 to 0. Michelle O'Daniels moved it and Michele deBruler seconded. It is now part of the parish zoning code.
The three changes Planning and Zoning made on May 7
A data center in M-1 must run on grid power. A redundant landscaping warranty clause was removed. A clause was added making the parish noise ordinance the controlling noise standard.
That third change matters for the table below. The 55 decibel figure comes from the version introduced in April. The parish noise ordinance now controls, and the final adopted text has not been read for this page, so treat the noise row as the intent rather than as a verified number and check the adopted ordinance before relying on it.
What the Ordinance Requires
| Provision | What It Requires | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Facility or campus for processing, storage, retrieval, or communication of data. Explicitly excludes incidental equipment like office building servers. | Prevents the ordinance from accidentally applying to every business with a server room. |
| M-1 Zoning | Allowed in M-1 (light manufacturing), subject to Section VII supplemental regulations. | Smaller data centers can locate in industrial zones but must meet performance standards. |
| M-2 Zoning | Permitted only for data centers with onsite primary energy-generating facilities. Subject to Section VII. | The biggest, most resource-intensive facilities (the kind with their own power plants) are restricted to heavy industrial zones with additional oversight. |
| Setbacks | 300 ft minimum from residential zones, schools, daycares, assisted living, and parks. | At 300 ft, a 96 dB noise source drops to ~57 dB, about the volume of a conversation. A real buffer, not a token one. |
| Landscape buffer | 25+ ft deep; native Class A & B trees; dense, opaque four-season barrier. Licensed landscape architect required. | Visual and partial noise screening. Requires professional design, not a few shrubs. |
| Equipment screening | All ground and roof equipment screened from roads and sensitive uses via enclosures, walls, or landscaping. | Cooling fans, generators, and transformers can't just sit in the open facing your street. |
| Noise limits | Max 55 dBA at property lines near residential or noise-sensitive areas. Generator testing limited to weekdays 7 AM to 6 PM. | Matches the Loudoun County, VA standard, the national benchmark for data center noise regulation. |
Source: St. Charles Parish Proposed Data Center Ordinance (Draft, 2026-0089), introduced by Parish President Matthew Jewell. Noise physics (96 dB source → ~57 dB at 300 ft): Noise Monitoring Services. Loudoun County 55 dB standard: NBC4 Washington.
What's Missing
The adopted ordinance addresses zoning and physical standards: where a data center can go, what it looks like, and how loud it can be. Several issues raised during the April 6 debate are still not covered by it:
Gaps in the Adopted Ordinance
No size definitions. Council member Walter Piliè flagged this during the April 6 debate and it was not addressed before adoption: the ordinance does not distinguish between a small colocation facility and a 500-acre hyperscale campus like Meta's Richland Parish site. Those are fundamentally different operations with different impacts, and the regulations should reflect that. (Herald Guide)
No water consumption reporting. Data centers use millions of gallons for cooling. The ordinance does not require operators to publicly report how much water they consume. Texas already mandates that reporting. (Utility Dive)
No demand response requirements. During grid emergencies, data centers can keep running at full power while homes and businesses are asked to cut back. Texas requires data centers over 75 MW to participate in demand response. This ordinance does not. (Utility Dive)
No ratepayer cost protections. Zoning ordinances don't typically address utility rate impacts, but the broader question of who pays for infrastructure to serve data centers isn't covered here or anywhere else in parish policy. (The Lens)
No clawback or enforcement mechanism. If a data center violates noise limits or screening requirements, the ordinance does not specify penalties, enforcement procedures or monitoring requirements.
What Happens Next
April 6, 2026 COMPLETED
Council voted 5 to 3 against 8-month moratorium. Parish President Jewell introduced zoning ordinance for data centers.
May 7, 2026 COMPLETED
The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the ordinance, with three changes: M-1 sites must be on grid power, a redundant landscaping warranty clause was removed, and the parish noise ordinance was made the controlling noise standard.
June 1, 2026 ADOPTED
The Parish Council adopted the data center zoning ordinance by a unanimous vote of 9 to 0. Data centers are now defined in the parish zoning code and permitted in the M-1 and M-2 industrial districts, subject to the supplemental regulations above. These are the rules that apply to any future data center proposal in St. Charles Parish.
Now
No data center has been proposed for St. Charles Parish. The rules were written before anyone asked to build. The open questions are the gaps listed above: size, water, demand response and enforcement, none of which the ordinance covers.
Watch the Meeting
The full April 6, 2026 council meeting (including the data center moratorium debate) is available as a replay on SCP-TV, the parish's government access channel.
How to Watch
SCP-TV Replay: April 6, 2026 Council Meeting
Legislative Committee: April 6, 2026 Legislative Committee Meeting
Meetings are also archived on the parish website and the parish's Facebook and YouTube accounts.
How to Participate
Council Meetings
When: the first and third Monday of the month, 6:00 PM
Location: Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, St. Charles Parish Courthouse, 15045 River Road, Hahnville, LA 70057
Petition deadline to speak: one week before the meeting you want to address
Agendas & minutes: stcharlesparish.gov/government/council-meeting
Live stream: SCP-TV
Replay: Parish video archive
The ordinance has passed, so the question is no longer whether to have rules. It is whether these rules are the right ones, and whether the gaps above get filled. If you have an opinion on that, there are two ways to make it heard.
Speak at the Meeting
You have a legal right to address the council. To do so, you must submit a written petition at least one week before the meeting you want to speak at.
How to submit your petition:
By email: Send your request to Council Secretary Michelle Impastato at mimpastato@stcharlesgov.net. Include your name and the subject you want to address (e.g., "data center zoning ordinance").
By mail: St. Charles Parish Council Office, PO Box 302, Hahnville, LA 70057
In person: Pick up a petition form at the Parish Council Office, 2nd Floor, St. Charles Parish Courthouse, 15045 River Road, Hahnville.
Online: The petition form ("Right to Direct Participation") is available at stcharlesparish.gov/government/parish-council.
Speakers get 5 minutes, extendable to 8 with council approval.
Contact Your Council Member Directly
You do not have to speak at a meeting to be heard. A phone call or an email to your district representative telling them your position carries weight, and it carries it whether or not a vote is scheduled.
Find your council member: stcharlesparish.gov: Council Members
Council Office phone: (985) 783-5125
Council Secretary: Michelle Impastato, mimpastato@stcharlesgov.net
St. Charles Parish has 7 district seats and 2 at-large seats. Find which district you're in using the parish district map.
You Don't Need to Be an Expert
You don't need to know the details of every bill or docket number. You're a resident. "I live in District 3 and I have concerns about data center regulation in my parish" is enough. The council works for you, showing up or sending an email is how that relationship functions.