# Data Centers in Cumberland County, NC: Rules, Power, Records | FOUND Cumberland County, North Carolina for data-center and land buyers: local actions, announced projects, county zoning, electric providers, and the land records offices. Canonical: https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/cumberland-county/ Last updated 2026.09.30 ## Cumberland County at a glance - County seat: Fayetteville - Population, 2024 estimate: 338430 - Land area, square miles: 652.6 - Development tier, 2026: Tier 1 - Last reappraisal: 2025 - Next reappraisal: 2031 - Regional council: Mid-Carolina Regional Council ## Local government actions - Fayetteville, 2026-08, debated: Fayetteville City Council held an August 10, 2026 hearing on a data center moratorium without consensus and scheduled a special meeting for October 2026. https://www.wral.com/news/local/central-north-carolina-data-center-plans-april-2026/ https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/fayetteville-city-council-approves-4-month-delay-in-data-center-moratorium/ - Cumberland County, 2026-06, adopted: Cumberland County adopted a six-month data center moratorium on June 15, 2026, expiring December 2026. https://www.wral.com/news/local/central-north-carolina-data-center-plans-april-2026/ - Cumberland County, 2026-09, proposed: Cumberland County presented draft data center zoning standards to the Joint Planning Board on September 15, 2026. The draft remains under review and has not been adopted. https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/planning-group/planning-and-inspections/datacenter https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/cumberland-county-proposes-tight-restrictions-for-data-centers/ ## Announced projects - Energy Storage Solutions LLC, Fayetteville, 2025, cancelled: ESS proposed a $6.4B, 300 MW data center on 50 acres on Dunn Road in Fayetteville; the Fayetteville Cumberland EDC CEO said in May 2026 it is not going to be built. https://www.cityviewnc.com/?p=59533 https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/data-center-proposal-emerges-as-county-holds-hearing-on-moratorium/ - Terra Nexus Ventures, Fayetteville (Eastover area), 2025, announced: Charlotte-based Terra Nexus Ventures publicly proposed a 300 MW data center on Custer Avenue near the PWC power plant in fall 2025. https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/data-center-proposal-emerges-as-county-holds-hearing-on-moratorium/ - PRSM Group, Fayetteville area, 2026-05, announced: Virginia-based PRSM Group presented a 225 MW, 50-acre AI data center in two 1M sq ft phases at the Cumberland County moratorium hearing on May 18, 2026. https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/data-center-proposal-emerges-as-county-holds-hearing-on-moratorium/ ## Zoning and land-use rules in Cumberland County Cumberland County zones the unincorporated land outside municipal planning jurisdictions. The zoning ordinance governs all land outside municipal zoning jurisdictions and can cover municipal land when both governments adopt jurisdiction agreements. https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/docs/default-source/planning-documents/ordinances/county/completed/cumberland-county-zoning-consolidated-ordinance-(adopted-1-16-24).pdf?sfvrsn=4014b76b_4 ### How the county ordinance treats a data center Our search of the county ordinance text found no data-center use by name. A planner decides which listed use applies to a project. The December 2025 consolidated zoning ordinance contains none of the six data center use search terms. https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/docs/default-source/planning-documents/ordinances/county/completed/cumberland-county-zoning-consolidated-ordinance-(adopted-1-16-24).pdf?sfvrsn=4014b76b_4 ### Municipalities in Cumberland County Eastover, Falcon, Fayetteville, Godwin, Hope Mills, Linden, Spring Lake, Stedman, Wade ## Electric providers in Cumberland County North Carolina assigns electric service by territory, so the provider for a parcel depends on where the parcel sits. These providers have territory or customers in Cumberland County. - Four County EMC (cooperative) https://www.ncelectriccooperatives.com/our-members - Lumbee River EMC (cooperative) https://www.ncelectriccooperatives.com/our-members - South River EMC (cooperative) https://www.ncelectriccooperatives.com/our-members - Duke Energy Progress (investor-owned) https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/zip/f8612024.zip - Fayetteville PWC (municipal) https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/zip/f8612024.zip A provider's presence does not show that it can serve a large load at a given point. Only the utility can state that. ## Where the land records are in Cumberland County - [Cumberland County GIS parcel viewer](https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=a6ea68995c2349e9a177366288589be7): Parcel boundaries, parcel numbers, the owner of record, and mapped acreage. - [Cumberland County Register of Deeds](https://www.ccrod.org/): Deeds, plats, easements, and deeds of trust. - [Cumberland County public records search](https://www.ccrodinternet.org/): Recorded documents, searched by name or by book and page. - [Cumberland County Tax Administration](https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/tax-group/tax): Assessed value, tax bills, and present-use status. - [Cumberland County Planning](https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/planning-group/planning-and-inspections/planning): Zoning maps, the ordinance, and permit history. ## Reappraisal and development tier Cumberland County last reappraised real property effective 2025. The next reappraisal is scheduled for 2031. The North Carolina Department of Commerce ranks Cumberland County as Tier 1 for 2026. Tier 1 marks the most economically distressed counties and Tier 3 the least. The tier sets eligibility for several state incentive programs. ## How to read this County and town are different governments. A county can have no pause while a town inside it has one, and the reverse. Before you rely on any row, confirm which government regulates the parcel, then read the ordinance in the linked source for its scope and end date. ### Does Cumberland County have a data center moratorium? The public record shows adopted local action in Cumberland County: Cumberland County (2026-06). Read the linked ordinance for its scope and end date, because boards extend and amend these. ### What data centers are planned in Cumberland County? Announced projects on record in Cumberland County: Energy Storage Solutions LLC, Fayetteville (cancelled); Terra Nexus Ventures, Fayetteville (Eastover area) (announced); PRSM Group, Fayetteville area (announced). Each row on this page links to its public source. ### Does Cumberland County have zoning? Cumberland County zones the unincorporated land outside municipal planning jurisdictions. The zoning ordinance governs all land outside municipal zoning jurisdictions and can cover municipal land when both governments adopt jurisdiction agreements. ### Who provides electricity in Cumberland County? Providers with territory or customers in Cumberland County: Four County EMC; Lumbee River EMC; South River EMC; Duke Energy Progress; Fayetteville PWC. The provider for a parcel depends on where the parcel sits. ### Where do I find parcel records for Cumberland County? The Cumberland County GIS parcel viewer shows parcel boundaries and the owner of record. The Cumberland County Register of Deeds holds deeds, plats, and easements. ## Neighboring counties - [Bladen County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/bladen-county/index.md) - [Harnett County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/harnett-county/index.md) - [Hoke County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/hoke-county/index.md) - [Moore County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/moore-county/index.md) - [Robeson County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/robeson-county/index.md) - [Sampson County](https://lotsfound.com/research/north-carolina/sampson-county/index.md) ## Sources for this page - [U.S. Census Bureau, County Population Totals, Vintage 2024](https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-counties-total.html) - [U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Gazetteer Files, Counties](https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html) - [2026 North Carolina Development Tier Designations, N.C. Department of Commerce, November 26, 2025](https://www.commerce.nc.gov/report-county-tiers-ranking-memo-current-year/open) - [2026-2027 Property Tax Rates And Reappraisal Schedules For North Carolina Counties, N.C. Department of Revenue](https://www.ncdor.gov/2026-2027countytaxratesfinalxlsx/open) - [Regional Councils, North Carolina Association of Regional Councils of Governments](https://ncarcog.org/regional-councils/) - [Cumberland County ordinance use search](https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/docs/default-source/planning-documents/ordinances/county/completed/cumberland-county-zoning-consolidated-ordinance-(adopted-1-16-24).pdf?sfvrsn=4014b76b_4) - [Cumberland County Planning](https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/planning-group/planning-and-inspections/planning) - [Cumberland County GIS parcel viewer](https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=a6ea68995c2349e9a177366288589be7) - [Cumberland County Register of Deeds](https://www.ccrod.org/) - [Cumberland County public records search](https://www.ccrodinternet.org/) - [Cumberland County Tax Administration](https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/tax-group/tax) - [Our Members | North Carolina's Electric Cooperatives](https://www.ncelectriccooperatives.com/our-members) - [Company-reported county service territories, Form EIA-861 2024 final data (Service_Territory_2024.xlsx)](https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia861/zip/f8612024.zip) - [wral.com](https://www.wral.com/news/local/central-north-carolina-data-center-plans-april-2026/) - [cityviewnc.com](https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/fayetteville-city-council-approves-4-month-delay-in-data-center-moratorium/) - [www.cumberlandcountync.gov](https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/planning-group/planning-and-inspections/datacenter) - [www.cityviewnc.com](https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/cumberland-county-proposes-tight-restrictions-for-data-centers/) - [cityviewnc.com](https://www.cityviewnc.com/?p=59533) - [cityviewnc.com](https://www.cityviewnc.com/stories/data-center-proposal-emerges-as-county-holds-hearing-on-moratorium/) Transactions are handled through a licensed North Carolina real estate brokerage.