Data centre regulation in Switzerland
Our tracker lists 4 rules for building and running a data centre in Switzerland, and 4 of them are in force.
Each comes with its status, who it applies to and the next date that matters. When a rule here changes, the change is logged below with its date.
- 4 of 4rules that apply, in forceRegulation tracker, updated 19 Oct 2026
- 0not yet in forceproposed, adopted or in scrutiny
- 1 Jan 2027next date, nationalRegulation tracker, updated 19 Oct 2026
Rules that apply in Switzerland
National rules first. Status as on the tracker.
| Rule | Level | Status | Applies to | Next date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Act of 16 Dec 2024 (EnerG), Art. 23, with the Art. 35 transition | National | In force since 1 Jan 2026; Art. 35 gives Art. 23 a one-year transition | New sites and existing sites after renewals. Canton of Schaffhausen. New buildings, and existing buildings after renewals, that cannot use more than 2 GWh of their waste heat themselves; the heat must be offered to third parties where technically possible and economically viable. The cantonal government says data centres are usually covered | 1 Jan 2027 (end of the Art. 23 transition) |
| Energy Ordinance (EnerV), section 25a (efficiency of data centres) | National | In force since 1 Jan 2026 | New sites and existing sites after renewals. Canton of Schaffhausen. Data centres under Art. 23 EnerG; PUE+ of 1.20 or less within 3 years of commissioning, or SDEA label at Gold level | No date published |
| Special Building Ordinance I (BBV I, LS 700.21), section 30a para 2 (waste heat to third parties) | National | In force since 1 Sep 2022; the cantonal government tells permit authorities to point to it, in an answer about a data centre (10 Jan 2024) | New sites and existing sites after cooling-plant renewal. Canton of Zurich. New buildings, and existing buildings after renewal of the cooling plant, that cannot use more than 2 GWh a year of the waste heat themselves; the heat must be offered to third parties at production cost | No date published |
| Energy Act (LEn, L 2 30), Art. 6 para 24, Art. 22B and Art. 22C, as amended by the law of 3 May 2024 | National | In force since 29 Jun 2024; Council of State reply filed 3 Jun 2026 says data centres need no specific authorisation as such | Canton of Geneva. Server cooling counts as process cooling (Art. 6 al. 24) and needs a declaration of conformity before work (Art. 22B); installations producing heat rejects must have efficient heat recovery and use the heat on site or in the built environment, unless the department grants an exemption (Art. 22C) | No date published |
Switzerland in detail
What the national rules say, with the legal texts.
Switzerland has no federal duty specific to data centres; federal law sets efficiency requirements for devices such as servers, and the cantons set the rules for buildings and large consumers. The Federal Council says a federal waste heat duty appears not possible for lack of constitutional competence. Schaffhausen's Energy Act, Art. 23, requires buildings that cannot use more than 2 GWh of their waste heat to offer it to third parties where feasible, with a transition to 1 January 2027; its ordinance requires data centres to reach PUE+ 1.20 within three years, or SDEA Gold. Zurich requires such waste heat to be offered at production cost. Geneva classes server cooling as process cooling and requires heat recovery. Motion 26.4166, tabled on 16 September 2026, asks for federal rules on disclosure, efficiency, renewable supply and waste heat.
Dates to watch
The next dates for Switzerland, soonest first.
- 1 Jan 2027End of the transition for the waste-heat rule in Article 23 of the Energy Act of Schaffhausen, a canton of Switzerland
Formal refusals and bans since 2025
Verified decisions only.
No formal refusal or ban recorded for Switzerland; absence is not evidence of low planning risk.
Decisions from 1 Jan 2025; statuses checked 21 Oct 2026.
What changed
The latest changes to these rules on the tracker, newest first.
- 15 Oct 2026Added to the tracker: Energy Act of 16 Dec 2024 (EnerG), Art. 23, with the Art. 35 transition (In force since 1 Jan 2026; Art. 35 gives Art. 23 a one-year transition).
- 15 Oct 2026Added to the tracker: Energy Ordinance (EnerV), section 25a (efficiency of data centres) (In force since 1 Jan 2026).
- 15 Oct 2026Added to the tracker: Special Building Ordinance I (BBV I, LS 700.21), section 30a para 2 (waste heat to third parties) (In force since 1 Sep 2022; the cantonal government tells permit authorities to point to it, in an answer about a data centre (10 Jan 2024)).
- 15 Oct 2026Added to the tracker: Energy Act (LEn, L 2 30), Art. 6 para 24, Art. 22B and Art. 22C, as amended by the law of 3 May 2024 (In force since 29 Jun 2024; Council of State reply filed 3 Jun 2026 says data centres need no specific authorisation as such).
Questions
Which rules apply to a data centre in Switzerland?
Our tracker lists 4 rules for building and running a data centre in Switzerland, and 4 of them are in force.
What is the next date for data centre rules in Switzerland?
The next date is 1 Jan 2027: end of the transition for the waste-heat rule in Article 23 of the Energy Act of Schaffhausen, a canton of Switzerland.
Sources
From the European data-centre regulation tracker, which cites the legal text for every rule. Data-centre market data for Switzerland.
Not legal advice. Confirm each duty against the text itself.