Williamsport Zoning Invalidity Resolution
City of Williamsport, Lycoming County
City Council voted 6-0 on June 25, 2026 to declare the city's 1998 zoning ordinance substantively invalid because it does not account for data centers or accessory uses including power generating facilities. The municipal curative-amendment route starts a 180-day clock to write data center rules and blocks developer validity challenges.
The project by the numbers
A data center project in City of Williamsport, Lycoming County
- Current stage
- A municipal zoning response rather than a project: the community moved first.
- Decision body
- City of Williamsport
- Top issues
- zoning standards written before an application arrives; water use; noise and continuous operation; backup generation and air emissions
City Council voted 6-0 on June 25, 2026 to declare the city's 1998 zoning ordinance substantively invalid because it does not account for data centers or accessory uses including power generating facilities. The municipal curative-amendment route starts a 180-day clock to write data center rules and blocks developer validity challenges while the work is underway; a second resolution specifying the defects is due within 30 days. Lycoming County commissioners took the same step and are drafting a model ordinance for the county planning partnership; Woodward and Pine Creek Townships have made similar moves. Woodward and Washington Townships and the City of Williamsport have ratified curative amendments setting conditions for data centers.
How it has unfolded
- 2026-06-25Council votes 6-0 to declare the 1998 zoning ordinance substantively invalid as to data centers, starting the 180-day curative-amendment clock NorthcentralPA.com
Coverage of this project
- 2026-06-28 NorthcentralPA.comWilliamsport council declares zoning ordinance invalid to regulate data centersCity uses MPC curative-amendment route to pause data centers for 180 days
Sources
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 →