Virginia Data Center WatchFor Virginia residents, first
What's being built in your locality?
Data centers, and the power lines, substations, water and permit decisions that come with them, across Virginia's 133 counties and independent cities. Plain-language project pages with every fact linked to a board or council record, state permit, company statement or news report, and labeled so you know which is which.
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The Register of Regulations published a final rule (9VAC5-50 Article 7, effective Nov 4, 2026) barring DEQ from permitting data center generator sets above Tier 4-equivalent emissions for permit applications on or after July 1, 2026. Source: register.dls.virginia.gov ↗
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The free weekly email digest is not accepting signups yet, and we collect no email addresses on this site. Every locality and project page is free to read now.
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About Virginia Data Center Watch
Virginia Data Center Watch is an independent website that tracks data center projects in Virginia and the power lines, substations, water deals, permits and zoning decisions that come with them, locality by locality. As of 2026-11-02 it covers 21 projects and 99 dated public records across 15 of Virginia's 133 localities; 67 of those records link directly to a government source. Coverage is still partial: the localities without activity listed here have not been audited yet, and a missing locality does not mean it has no data center activity. Every locality and project page is free to read with no account. How we verify: methodology.
Localities with activity
Each locality page lists projects, board and council actions and permits. The number is projects tracked.
Latest records
The newest dated actions and filings we've verified. 67 of 99 records link directly to an official government source.
Residents announced a petition asking the Board to defer data center applications that need discretionary approval (special use permits, rezonings, comprehensive plan amendments) for 12 months; it would not apply to by-right projects. The petition asks for time to update design standards and increase setbacks from homes, schools, parks and religious institutions (InsideNoVa, Oct 31). This is a petition by residents, not a Board action.
Source: insidenova.com ↗Board unanimously denied the conditional use permit for the 72-acre Winchester Gateway data center campus in Kernstown; the Virginia Technology Park applicant, Equus Capital Partners, had withdrawn its application the week before (Winchester Star via NVDaily).
Source: nvdaily.com ↗Public hearing advertised on a zoning ordinance amendment aligning with state law that took effect Jul 1, 2026 (HB 153/SB 94): data center rezoning and special exception applications must include a noise study and the anticipated megawatts; for facilities expected to need 100 MW or more, also a sound profile for homes and schools within 500 feet and a utility statement on serving substations and transmission voltage (Fairfax County agenda and Board memo). [Unverified: the hearing outcome was not confirmed.]
Source: fairfaxcounty.gov ↗County held a community data center forum at Brightpoint Community College's Chester campus; recording on the county's YouTube channel (county data centers page).
Source: chesterfield.gov ↗Board unanimously directed staff to stay engaged with the Spanberger administration on state data center rules, focusing on community benefit plans, communication with residents and energy affordability, with a report back within 120 days (FFXnow).
Source: ffxnow.com ↗Virginia Technology Park application withdrawn from the Oct 28 Board agenda; the Planning Director said the application 'ceases to exist'. The applicant's Oct 23 letter said the main reason was a lack of time to revise the application after the hearing date was moved up (NVDaily).
Source: nvdaily.com ↗DEQ's list of issued air permits for data centers shows registration 74118-4 (Article 6 - mNSR) issued 2026-10-26 to Cashvad Ventures LLC in Prince William County. The list gives no project size or status; the entry says nothing about whether the facility is built.
Source: deq.virginia.gov ↗Dominion Energy filed a 36-page suit in Prince William Circuit Court challenging the Board's denial of the Vint Hill substation permit as unlawful; it says the project is needed for regional grid reliability and load growth including data centers. The county told WTOP it does not comment on active litigation (WTOP, Oct 23).
Source: wtop.com ↗How to read our labels
Every source carries one of four labels. Benefits and impacts are only stated when a source supports them, and they're attributed.
Government documents: Board of Supervisors and City Council agendas, minutes and ordinances, DEQ permits, SCC dockets, the Register of Regulations, General Assembly records, federal notices.
What a developer, utility or tenant says in its own announcement. Useful, but not independently verified.
Reporting by news outlets. We attribute figures to the outlet and prefer the underlying record when we can get it.
Other trackers and databases. Treated as leads, never as the only source for a fact.
What you can count on
Plain facts with receipts, and what an alert item looks like.
- Every fact links to its public sourceBoard and council records, state permits and rules, company statements and news, each labeled. 67 of 99 records link straight to a government source.
- Cancel anytime from your accountPaid plans are managed in the customer portal.
- Free to read, no account neededEvery locality and project page is free. The free weekly digest, when it opens, needs only an email address.
- IndependentIndependent. Not affiliated with Data Center Watch or 10a Labs. Payment never buys coverage. Our promise.
Sample alert
New board of supervisors record · Prince William County
Upcoming deadline: under Sec. 32-509.03(2)(e) of Ordinance 26-67, the fifth eligibility criterion requires pending rezonings, special use permits, proffer amendments, substation reviews and site plans to be accepted within 90 days after adoption. Dec 21, 2026 is our calculation (Sept 22 plus 90 days); the county page states '90 days following ordinance adoption'. Confirm the exact date in the ordinance.
Founding plans
For journalists, officials, attorneys and industry
Founding plans are open with a 30-day free trial. We are building statewide search, exports and early signals (rezonings, generator air permits, large-load filings) and will email founding members as each feature starts. See plans and the VAFOUNDER code.