Data Centers Now Prohibited In Madison After Unanimous Council Vote

MADISON, NJ — Data centers are now prohibited in Madison after the borough council unanimously adopted an ordinance Monday night amending the borough's land development code.

Ordinance 27-2026 amends Chapter 195 of the borough code to prohibit data centers as a use within the borough. No members of the public spoke during the public hearing before the vote.

Councilman Eric Range noted that the ordinance went before the planning board, which deemed it "not inconsistent with the master plan."

The vote makes Madison — which operates its own municipal electric utility — the latest New Jersey municipality to shut the door on the facilities, which house rows of computer servers powering artificial intelligence systems, cloud storage and online services.

Data centers have become an increasingly divisive land-use issue across the state. Monroe Township in Gloucester County passed two ordinances prohibiting data centers in April after residents feared a warehouse project along Black Horse Pike could be converted into one, and Warren Township and Somerset County introduced an ordinance last month to repeal data centers. More than 60 environmental, labor and grassroots organizations have called on Gov. Mikie Sherrill to impose a statewide moratorium on new data centers.

Critics of the facilities point to the massive amounts of electricity and water they require, warning they can strain power grids, increase electricity costs and generate constant noise from cooling equipment and backup generators.

With the adoption, the borough clerk will publish notice and file the ordinance in accordance with the law.

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