Tyrone Township's Draft Bans the Biggest Data Centers. Mid-Size Ones Must Sit 500 Feet From Residential Lots.

By Carrie Thompson, Strategic Marketing Real Estate Agent, eXp Realty, Grand Blanc, MI

Tyrone Township's Planning Commission is working from a revised draft ordinance, dated September 17, 2026, that would prohibit the largest class of data centers anywhere in the township and require mid-size data centers to sit at least 500 feet from the lot line of any residentially zoned or used property (Tyrone Township Planning Commission packet, September 23, 2026). The draft is not law yet. The township lists its moratorium on new data center approvals as expiring March 2, 2027 (Tyrone Township website, accessed October 1, 2026).

The moratorium started in December 2025 and was extended in May

The Tyrone Township Board adopted Resolution #251203 on December 2, 2025, putting a six-month pause on permits, licenses, and approvals for new data center uses. The resolution said the township "has become aware of an increase of Data Centers in the region, which is an emerging land use," and that a limited, temporary moratorium would give the township time to study the issue and draft amendments to its Master Plan and Zoning Ordinance. It runs "for six (6) months following the effective date of this Resolution, or until Data Centers regulatory amendments to the Township's Zoning Ordinance become effective, whichever occurs first" (Tyrone Township Board packet, December 16, 2025).

On May 19, 2026, the board adopted Resolution #260502, extending the data center moratorium for nine months following its effective date or until the new regulations take effect. Trustee Zach Tucker made the motion and Trustee Dean Haase supported it. All seven board members voted yes: Supervisor Greg Carnes, Clerk Pam Moughler, Treasurer Jennifer Eden, and Trustees Herman Ferguson, Haase, Chris Ropeta, and Tucker (Tyrone Township Board minutes, May 19, 2026). The same night, the board also extended a separate moratorium on medical marihuana facilities by six months, also by a unanimous vote (Tyrone Township Board minutes, May 19, 2026).

The township website lists the data center moratorium as expiring March 2, 2027 (Tyrone Township website, accessed October 1, 2026).

The first draft in April allowed every type with special approval

Planning consultant Mario A. Ortega, AICP, prepared the first draft of the zoning amendments, dated April 24, 2026. That version defined four types of data centers: enterprise, edge or micro, multi-tenant or colocation, and hyperscale. None was banned outright. The larger types required special approvals. The April draft set a 200-foot setback from the front lot line or road right-of-way and a 300-foot setback from the lot line of any residentially zoned or used property, and it capped sound at "45 dBA measured at all property lines" (Tyrone Township Planning Commission packet, May 12, 2026).

The September revision tightens the rules and adds a ban

The revised draft, sent by Ortega to Ross Nicholson, the township's Director of Planning and Zoning, on September 17, 2026, reorganizes data centers by power use (Tyrone Township Planning Commission packet, September 23, 2026):

An accessory data center supports a single business or organization and operates on less than 150 kW of power. A Class A data center typically operates up to a maximum of 1 MW. A Class B data center typically operates from more than 1 MW up to 60 MW, and the draft says a Class B facility "shall be designed to utilize no more than 60 MW of power at anytime." A Class C data center "typically occupies one or more warehouse-sized buildings, and houses thousands of servers to handle very large processing workloads." The draft states that "the establishment of Class C data centers shall be prohibited within Tyrone Township."

For Class B, the setbacks grow. The front setback stays at 200 feet. The setback from the lot line of any residentially zoned or used property rises to 500 feet, and the setback from any property not residentially zoned is 300 feet. A greenbelt of at least 150 feet would surround the entire site, and structures could cover no more than 40 percent of the site. The sound limit is written as 45 dB(C), a C-weighted measurement taken at all property lines. Lighting could be no taller than 20 feet from grade.

Class B facilities that cool with water would have to use "a closed-loop or recycled water system." The applicant would have to affirm in writing that it will absorb all rate increases related to upgrading the electrical infrastructure. A performance guarantee of 125 percent of projected decommissioning costs would be required and reviewed every five years.

Under the draft's use table, accessory and Class A data centers would be allowed only in the PIRO-A district and Class B only in the PIRO-B district, and each would need special land use approval.

A separate licensing ordinance would require yearly renewal

The September packet includes two documents: the zoning amendments and a separate Data Center Licensing Ordinance. Under the licensing draft, "a license granted by the Township Board shall be valid for no more than one (1) year," and operators would file annual reports covering operations, electrical use, water use, fire safety, hazardous materials, sound analysis, and revised decommissioning cost estimates (Tyrone Township Planning Commission packet, September 23, 2026).

The commission is still taking input

On September 8, 2026, two members were appointed to the Planning Commission's Zoning Ordinance Subcommittee, and the commission asked the subcommittee to meet and propose additions to the data center ordinances to send to McKenna for consultation before the next commission meeting (Tyrone Township Planning Commission synopsis, September 8, 2026). Data centers were listed as old business on the commission's September 23 agenda, with the revised drafts in the packet (Tyrone Township Planning Commission packet, September 23, 2026). The township's Data Center Research Committee scheduled a meeting for September 28, 2026, at 6 p.m. at Tyrone Township Hall, 8420 Runyan Lake Road (Tyrone Township website).

Numbers in the draft can still change before the Planning Commission makes a recommendation and the Township Board votes.

What buyers and sellers in Tyrone Township should check

If you are buying acreage or a home on a larger parcel in Tyrone Township, look up the zoning of nearby land on the township's GIS parcel viewer and watch the Planning Commission and Board agendas posted on tyronetownship.us. If you own vacant or farm land, know that the moratorium blocks new data center approvals until the rules are adopted or the pause ends.

Every listing I take gets professional photos and video, room sizes, targeted digital ads, and targeted buyer avatars. Call or text Carrie Thompson at (810) 893-3269.

About Carrie Thompson

Carrie Thompson, "Your Favorite Property Girl," is a Strategic Marketing Real Estate Agent (REALTOR®) with eXp Realty serving Grand Blanc, Genesee County and nearby Michigan communities, including Tyrone Township, Fenton, Fenton Township, Linden, Hartland, and Holly. Michigan license 6501338662. Call or text (810) 893-3269.