Local governments are starting to write data-center decommissioning rules—with deadlines and bonds.

Data centers are usually discussed at the moment they are approved. Fewer rules address the moment they close. That is beginning to change at the local level.

Confirmed facts: In an August 6, 2026 post, Columbia Law School's Sabin Center for Climate Change Law reported that Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, requires data centers to be decommissioned within twelve months after the end of their useful lives. The ordinance, as quoted by the Sabin Center, defines decommissioning as "removal of all hazardous materials and contents, including cabling, electrical components, and any other associated facilities," and includes bonding requirements so money is available for that work. The Sabin Center also reported that Smithfield Township, Pennsylvania, has acted on decommissioning; Data Center Digest, summarizing the same analysis on October 15, 2026, describes Smithfield's measure as a draft ordinance.

The Sabin Center post argues that states could require operators to provide financial assurances, such as securities and bonds, sufficient to cover decommissioning costs in the case of bankruptcy or closure, and compares that approach with existing federal and state oil-and-gas rules. It notes that local authority to impose such requirements varies from state to state. These are policy recommendations, not enacted state law.

Data Center Digest separately reports that hardware inside data centers turns over faster than the buildings: Meta lengthened the assumed useful life of most servers and network equipment to 5.5 years in January 2025, while Amazon shortened a subset of its servers from six years to five, citing the pace of AI development, according to the companies' annual reports as summarized by that outlet.

FRG operational interpretation (not a legal or compliance finding): The pattern to watch is that decommissioning is moving from an end-of-life afterthought to a condition attached at approval. Where such rules exist, the obligation is defined by contents removed—cabling, electrical components, hazardous materials—not just by vacating the building. That makes the exit scope larger and earlier to plan than a typical lease turnback.

Owners and operators can prepare without waiting for their own jurisdiction to act. Keep a current inventory of electrical gear, batteries, generators, fuel, refrigerants, cabling, and IT assets. Maintain a decommissioning cost estimate that can be updated as equipment changes, since a bond amount is only as good as the scope behind it. Keep data-sanitization and chain-of-custody records with the asset register so disposition evidence is ready if a closure deadline applies. Then confirm actual obligations with local counsel and the permitting authority for each site; ordinance terms differ, and this summary does not establish what any specific site must do.

If you are planning a data-center exit, consolidation, or decommissioning cost estimate, Facility Recovery Group can help scope the physical work and asset recovery. Bring your current equipment inventory and any permit conditions to the first conversation.