Scope
Nashville Metropolitan Council ordinance BL2026-1391 (Proposal No. 2026Z-012TX-001) amends Title 17 (Zoning Code) of the Metropolitan Code to add new data center uses with related definitions and conditions. The substitute text defines data center, accessory, small, medium, large and campus data center categories by floor area and maximum electric utilization capacity, and states that the campus category shall not be permitted in Davidson County. The Legistar history records passage on third reading as amended on 21 July 2026, mayoral approval on 24 July 2026 and effect on 31 July 2026.
- Geographic scope
- Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee
- Jurisdiction
- Local
- Authority type
- Local government
- Issuing authority
- Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County
Dates
- Adopted
- 21 July 2026
- Effective
- 31 July 2026
- Scheduled expiration
- None scheduled
- Ended
- Not recorded as ended
- Completion condition
- None stated
- Source document
- The source page states no document date
- Last checked
- 23 September 2026 (earlier than tracker date 5 October 2026; not an automatic status change)
Summary
Nashville and Davidson County amended its zoning code through BL2026-1391 to add data center uses and related definitions and conditions. The substitute bill sets size- and power-based categories (accessory, small, medium, large and campus) and says the campus category is not permitted in Davidson County. The Metropolitan Council passed it on third reading as amended on 21 July 2026, the Mayor approved it on 24 July 2026, and the Legistar history lists it as effective on 31 July 2026. A companion ordinance, BL2026-1392, authorizes building material restrictions for these uses.
What this does not establish
- The operative text was read in the substitute bill; nine third-reading amendments (A to I) were not opened, so exact floor-area and megawatt thresholds and the district tables are not recorded.
- The substitute is a redline whose extracted text shows both old and new figures.
- Companion BL2026-1392 (building material restrictions, effective 31 July 2026) and the temporary moratorium BL2026-1448 are separate instruments.
- This is a Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County zoning measure, not a Tennessee statute.
Unresolved questions
- The final amended thresholds and the districts in which each data center category is permitted.
Relationships
Supersession means a later instrument replaces the earlier legal effect. Repeal links identify the repeal instrument and the measure it ends. A later implementation or related letter is not treated as a replacement unless the record says so.
- Related, not a replacement Nashville and Davidson County (Metropolitan Government): temporary data center permit moratorium (BL2026-1448, ended) (Expired)
Sources
https://nashville.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=8040869&GUID=007B8704-62ED-46D1-9E9A-8B3F778229A8