Fulton County Opposes Local Incentives For Data Centers
August 10, 2026
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners (BOC) approved a resolution opposing tax abatements or other financial incentives from any development authority within Fulton County for data center projects, and urging the Development Authority of Fulton County (DAFC) to decline consideration of such incentives.
The resolution, sponsored by District 1 Commissioner Bridget Thorne and District 2 Commissioner Bob Ellis, was approved at the BOC’s regular meeting on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. It notes significant and increasing public concerns about data centers’ water and power use, noise and traffic, with cities including Milton and Roswell adopting moratoriums on new data centers.
Zoning and land use decisions are in the hands of the 15 cities within Fulton County, so municipalities could still approve data centers. The resolution states the County’s opposition to providing local subsidies for data center construction and operation.
The state already provides financial incentives for data centers, which are estimated to cost county and city governments $1.1 billion in sales tax revenue in 2026.
In addition, area development authorities have in the past few years approved property tax abatements for data centers in Fulton County, although developers have indicated that local tax incentives are not a decisive factor in data center site selection.
The DAFC, which operates independently of Fulton County government, has granted $150 million in tax breaks for data centers since 2020. Half of that amount was slated for one Microsoft project.
The resolution, sponsored by District 1 Commissioner Bridget Thorne and District 2 Commissioner Bob Ellis, was approved at the BOC’s regular meeting on Wednesday, August 5, 2026. It notes significant and increasing public concerns about data centers’ water and power use, noise and traffic, with cities including Milton and Roswell adopting moratoriums on new data centers.
Zoning and land use decisions are in the hands of the 15 cities within Fulton County, so municipalities could still approve data centers. The resolution states the County’s opposition to providing local subsidies for data center construction and operation.
The state already provides financial incentives for data centers, which are estimated to cost county and city governments $1.1 billion in sales tax revenue in 2026.
In addition, area development authorities have in the past few years approved property tax abatements for data centers in Fulton County, although developers have indicated that local tax incentives are not a decisive factor in data center site selection.
The DAFC, which operates independently of Fulton County government, has granted $150 million in tax breaks for data centers since 2020. Half of that amount was slated for one Microsoft project.