Rapid City Delays Data Center Rules to December
Staff will revise the ordinance using 940 survey and open house responses before the Planning Commission's Dec. 10 meeting.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Data Centers
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Should Rapid City restrict where large data centers can be built?
Rapid City, S.D., staff have recommended delaying action on the city's data center ordinance until Dec. 10, so public survey feedback can be incorporated. This is an active local regulatory process: the ordinance is still under revision and has not been adopted.
Why it matters
The delay gives staff time to revise the proposed rules after an open house and a survey that drew strong participation, reflecting how municipalities are now writing zoning rules for data centers as demand for them grows. Staff are asking whether a month is enough time for the revision, a question that will shape the timeline of any final rules.
The public input comes from an informational open house and interactive survey that asked whether the proposed data center rules are appropriate, too restrictive, or not restrictive enough. The survey also asked where micro and large-scale data centers should be allowed, and the results will be used to draft additional requirements or clarified language.
The players
Rapid City Community Development
The city department responsible for planning and zoning, which is reviewing and revising the data center ordinance.
Jessica Olson
Planning Manager for Rapid City who said staff will identify public comments and present them to the Planning Commission.
Vicki Fisher
Community Development Director for Rapid City who said staff will ask the Planning Commission whether a month is enough time.
The details
Rapid City's Community Development staff are reviewing the city's data center ordinance, which governs where and how data centers can be built. Staff collected public comments through an in-person open house on Oct. 14 and an online survey, then plan to present those comments to the Planning Commission. Based on that feedback, staff will draft additional requirements or clarified language, and the revised rules will be released for further public comment before the Planning Commission and City Council review them.
Timeline
Oct. 14: Informational open house and interactive survey held.
Monday (before Nov. 5, 2026): Online survey closed after collecting 790 responses.
Thursday (Nov. 5, 2026): Staff to recommend delay at the Planning Commission meeting.
Dec. 10: Planning Commission meeting where the revised ordinance is to be presented.
The Tech Race
Rapid City is drafting its data center ordinance as local governments across the country write rules for facilities whose power and land needs are growing. The city's approach of pairing an open house with a 790-response online survey before final action places its rulemaking within a broader pattern of local input shaping data center policy.
Residents who submitted survey responses will see their comments presented to the Planning Commission before the rules are revised. Anyone interested in where data centers may be built in Rapid City should expect a further public comment period on the revised draft before the Planning Commission and City Council act.
The takeaway
Watch the Planning Commission's Dec. 10 meeting, when the revised data center ordinance is scheduled to be presented. Whether the revision adds new requirements or clarifies existing language will show how much of the public feedback made it into the final rules.
What happens next
The Planning Commission will take up staff's recommendation on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, and is scheduled to consider the revised ordinance at its Dec. 10 meeting.
Further reading
For more on how data center zoning and infrastructure are taking shape, explore Data Centers coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Kotatv.
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Should Rapid City restrict where large data centers can be built?
