Gilpin Township, Armstrong County
Gilpin Township in Armstrong County adopted a zoning amendment in April 2026 that allows data centers only as a conditional use in its industrial district, with setbacks, buffers, noise limits and protection against higher electric bills, and it tightened the noise rules in August 2026. No data center has applied.
Gilpin adopted its current zoning ordinance on Nov. 1, 2023. On Feb. 17, 2026 the supervisors authorized the township solicitor to prepare an ordinance amending tables in the zoning ordinance. By April 9, 2026 the supervisors were advertising a data center ordinance, and Supervisor Charles Stull said on Facebook that the township may also require a community benefit agreement as part of any approval. On April 21, 2026 the board held a public hearing and adopted Ordinance No. 3 of 2026 the same night. It sets a 60-foot height cap, 200-foot setbacks, a 100-foot planted buffer, noise limits of 67 decibels by day and 57 at night, vibration limits, an emergency response plan reviewed by the local fire department, and a requirement that any electric costs to township residents be paid by the project owner. Pittsburgh Magazine noted the new ordinance later that month. On July 21 the supervisors held a hearing on another zoning amendment, where no residents commented, and voted to advertise it. On Aug. 18, 2026 they adopted it as Ordinance No. 4 of 2026, which lowered the noise limits, added low-frequency limits, banned audible hum and required baseline sound testing before approval.
Ordinance No. 4 of 2026 limits data center sound, measured at the property line or the boundary nearest a sensitive receptor, to 55 dB(A) and 60 dB(C) on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and 45 dB(A) and 50 dB(C) at night and on weekends, or 3 decibels over measured background, whichever is lowest, and bans plainly audible low-frequency hum.
Gilpin Township Board of SupervisorsOrdinance No. 3 of 2026 requires an interconnection agreement from the electric provider listing known rate impacts, and any costs to residential customers in the township must be paid for by the project owner.
Gilpin Township Board of SupervisorsOrdinance No. 3 of 2026 caps data center buildings at 60 feet including rooftop equipment and requires 200-foot setbacks and a 100-foot planted buffer, 40 to 70 percent evergreens at least 8 feet tall, next to homes, parks, farms and other sensitive uses.
Gilpin Township Board of SupervisorsOrdinance No. 3 of 2026 requires an emergency response plan reviewed by the local fire department, covering fire suppression, evacuation and access for emergency equipment, and training for first responders.
Gilpin Township Board of SupervisorsTribLive reports that under the ordinance an applicant must show an adequate water supply that won't affect nearby wells or streams, proper wastewater handling and enough electric grid capacity before a data center can be approved.
TribLive (Valley News Dispatch)In Pennsylvania, the local zoning ordinance sets the route. A conditional use is decided by the elected governing body (supervisors, commissioners or council). A special exception or variance, and an appeal of a zoning officer’s decision, go to the Zoning Hearing Board. Each is a public hearing on a record: affected neighbors can ask for party status, cross-examine witnesses, and appeal. Municipalities can also adopt data center ordinances with enforceable standards.
Know your rights →Organized community opposition is the single most effective check on these projects in Pennsylvania. Show up to hearings, submit comment when it is taken, support legal and expert-witness costs, and press your municipality for a real ordinance. Pennsylvania municipalities cannot simply freeze applications, but a curative amendment under the Planning Code gives them a defined window to fix a defective ordinance.
How communities push back →