Local votes and rules
📌 Other · Hawaii County
The Windward Planning Commission voted 5-1 to tell the County Council it does not favor Bill 170, the data center ban. Commissioners mostly agreed with the goal but said the meaning of "data center" in the bill is not clear enough. They had put off the vote on Sept. 3, 2026. The vote is only advice; the Council decides. The Leeward Planning Commission takes up the bill on Oct. 15, 2026 in Kailua-Kona.
🗺️ Zoning change · Hawaii County
Bill 170 would add a new meaning for "data center" to the Big Island zoning code: a place for computers working at industrial scale. Because data centers would not be listed as an allowed use anywhere, they would be banned. Small "data processing" sites that store records stay allowed. A Council committee voted 8-0 on July 7, 2026 to send it to the planning director and the two planning commissions for review before the full Council votes.
Find your town
In Hawaii, cities and towns decide inside their limits. Outside them, the county decides.