Manor Township DC Ordinance (Model)
Manor Township, Lancaster County
A zoning response from Manor Township, Lancaster County, adopted so the community would have standards in place rather than reacting to whatever arrives first.
The project by the numbers
Manor Township, Lancaster County moved first and wrote its own rules
- Current stage
- Ordinance adopted fall 2025, updated March 2026, and widely cited as a county model.
- Decision body
- Manor Township
- Top issues
- The questions here are about the rules themselves, including how far equipment must sit from homes, what noise limits apply, and whether a municipality can set terms before an application arrives.
First Lancaster County municipality with a DC ordinance: nighttime noise cap 65 dB(A), daytime 70 dB(A), 40-foot height limit, 30-acre minimum lot in industrial district, ZHB approval. Updated March 2 2026 to add vibration, fire-prevention and waste-disposal requirements. Promoted by High Real Estate Group. Manor Township's data center ordinance, adopted in fall 2025 and updated in March 2026, is the most-cited local model in Lancaster County. It allows data centers on parcels of 30 acres or more in the industrial district with zoning hearing board approval, caps buildings at 40 feet, and limits noise at neighboring properties to 65 A-weighted decibels at night and 70 dBA by day. Ephrata Township and Penn Township have also adopted rules, and Pequea, Rapho, Colerain, East Cocalico, and Drumore townships were working on them as of mid-2026, with Columbia Borough postponing its hearing to find a venue large enough for the expected crowd.
How it has unfolded
- 2026-03-02Manor Twp ordinance update (65 dB night/70 dB day)
Coverage of this project
- 2026-07 LNP / LancasterOnlineLancaster County municipalities must adopt data center rules before it's too late to have a sayEditorial urging municipalities to zone before applications arrive
- 2026-06-16 LNP / LancasterOnlineHere's what Lancaster County municipalities are doing about data center regulationManor's adopted terms: 30-plus acres, 40 ft height, 65 dBA night and 70 dBA day
- 2025-08-06 LNP / LancasterOnlineManor Township drafts ordinance to regulate data centersDrafting timeline ahead of adoption
Know your rights
In Pennsylvania, a data center on industrial land usually needs a special exception or conditional use, decided by a local Zoning Hearing Board after a public, quasi-judicial hearing. Neighbors can request party status, cross-examine witnesses, and build an evidentiary record. Municipalities can also write data-center ordinances with enforceable standards.
Know your rights →Take action
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 ask your municipality for a moratorium and a real ordinance.
How communities push back →