# Is that data center really being built? The public records that prove it

By Spezia. Published November 13, 2026. Updated November 13, 2026. Data as of November 9, 2026.
Canonical page: https://spezia.ai/blog/is-the-data-center-being-built

## The short answer

Check the records a builder has to file: an FAA notice for each tall crane, construction stormwater coverage before grading, an air permit for the generators, and the county's zoning and building permits. Of the 290 U.S. projects reported under construction in Spezia's tracker, 42 (14%) have an FAA or EPA record tied to them, and 146 (50%) have a public record of any kind. The other 144 rest on reports alone.

- A report that a site is under construction is a claim. An FAA crane filing, a stormwater permit or a building permit is a dated record.
- 42 of 290 projects reported under construction have an FAA or EPA record, and 26 have one in force on November 13, 2026.
- 144 projects reported under construction have no public record tied to them yet, and 111 of those rest on a single source.
- Where Spezia has searched a project's public records, it found a filing for 124 of 135 projects under construction (92%). Absence often means not yet searched.
- Records can run ahead of the news: 15 projects reported as announced, approved or with no stage stated have a crane filed or grading coverage begun in the past year.

## What proves a data center is being built?

A record that someone had to file to do the work. Announcements, renderings and "construction is under way" in a news story are claims. These are records, each with a date and a public case number:

| Record | What it shows | Where it is filed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FAA crane filing | A crane or structure at an exact point, its height, and the dates the work runs | FAA notice of proposed construction (Form 7460-1) |
| Construction stormwater coverage | Earth can be moved on a site of an acre or more | State or EPA permit, listed in EPA's records |
| Air permit | Backup generators or turbines planned, being built or running | State permit, listed in EPA's air records |
| Building permit or site plan | The county has approved what will be built | County or city records |
| Utility or regulator filing | A power contract or service agreement for the load | State utility commission dockets |

Each is a filing someone made to get permission for the work, and each carries a date. That is what makes it better evidence than a press release.

The FAA rule is in [14 CFR 77.9](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-E/part-77/subpart-B/section-77.9): notice is required for construction more than 200 feet above ground, and for lower work near an airport or heliport. Most cranes filed at tracked data center sites are taller than 200 feet. EPA [requires stormwater permit coverage](https://www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater-discharges-construction-activities) for construction that disturbs one acre or more, or is part of a larger plan that will.

## How many data center projects have proof on record?

Fewer than the stage labels suggest. Here is every project record in Spezia's tracker by the stage its sources report, with how many have each kind of proof.

| Reported stage | Projects | FAA or EPA record | Any public record | Two or more sources |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Under construction | 290 | 42 | 146 (50%) | 150 (52%) |
| Approved | 118 | 5 | 18 (15%) | 45 (38%) |
| Announced | 343 | 11 | 13 (4%) | 86 (25%) |
| Operating | 91 | 9 | 9 (10%) | 18 (20%) |
| Blocked or paused | 27 | 0 | 0 (0%) | 4 (15%) |
| Stage not stated | 178 | 12 | 12 (7%) | 7 (4%) |

"Any public record" means an FAA or EPA record, or a zoning, permit, utility or other filing found in the project's public records. "Two or more sources" counts separate pages that report the project. [The monthly build-out report](https://spezia.ai/blog/data-center-report-november-2026) follows the same FAA and EPA records across the pipeline each month.

- **290**: projects reported under construction
- **42**: of them with an FAA or EPA record
- **26**: with a record of work in force on November 13, 2026
- **144**: with no public record tied to them yet

## Where is the gap between "under construction" and the record?

Of the 290 projects reported under construction, 22 have an FAA crane or structure filing, 21 have construction stormwater coverage and 11 have an EPA air record. Together that is 42 projects, 14%.

Fewer have work in force today. On November 13, 2026, 11 had a crane whose filed work window included that day, and 18 had stormwater coverage in force. 26 had at least one.

The other side of the gap: 144 projects reported under construction have no FAA, EPA or other public record tied to them yet, and 111 of those rest on a single source. That does not mean they are not being built. Three things hide real work:

- **The search has not reached them yet.** Spezia has searched the public records of 135 of the 290 projects under construction, largest first. It found a filing for 124 of them, 92%.
- **Records lag.** The FAA posts filings to its files on its own schedule, and EPA's files are dated. Spezia's FAA files run through November 6, 2026.
- **Not every site files every record.** Cranes under 200 feet need no FAA notice unless they are near an airport or heliport. Some states send EPA only the start date of a statewide permit, not each site's own date.

Even so, a project that has been "under construction" for months with no crane, no grading permit and one source deserves a second look before anyone prices, lends or ships against it. So does one in a county that has paused new data centers: [the moratoriums in force in 2026](https://spezia.ai/blog/data-center-moratoriums-2026) lists them.

## What the filings are, on projects being built

The records search finds more than FAA and EPA records. Among projects reported under construction, these are the kinds of filing it found most often:

| Filing | Projects under construction |
| --- | ---: |
| Tax abatement or incentive | 70 |
| Zoning or special use | 64 |
| Other public record | 61 |
| Utility filing | 52 |
| Air permit filing (state or local) | 40 |
| Environmental review | 37 |
| Site plan | 37 |
| Water or stormwater permit | 23 |
| Building permit | 21 |
| Traffic study | 6 |

Tax deals and zoning come early and are decided in public meetings, so they are the easiest to find. Building permits come later and are less often posted online.

## Three projects, read from their records

Each of these uses only public records. The FAA and EPA links open the agency's own page.

### QTS Rock Hill Data Center Campus, Rock Hill, South Carolina

- **The crane.** [FAA case 2026-ASO-4357-OE](https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/asn-display/asn-case-display-page.html?asn=2026-ASO-4357-OE) is a filing for cranes up to 243 feet, filed February 26, 2026, with work from May 1, 2026 to April 1, 2027. The filing names the builder.
- **The grading.** EPA lists four construction stormwater coverages at the site, begun August 9, 2024; March 28, 2025; July 29, 2025; and April 30, 2026. All four are active.
- **What it says.** New ground has been opened in stages for more than two years, and a crane is filed through April 1, 2027. This is a campus being built in phases, with crane work filed into 2027.

### DataBank Red Oak Data Center Campus, Texas

- **The cranes.** [FAA case 2025-ASW-11484-OE](https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/asn-display/asn-case-display-page.html?asn=2025-ASW-11484-OE) (150 feet) and [FAA case 2025-ASW-11487-OE](https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/asn-display/asn-case-display-page.html?asn=2025-ASW-11487-OE) (200 feet) were filed September 11, 2025, for work from October 20, 2025 to February 2, 2026.
- **The grading.** [EPA stormwater record TXR1506ZI](https://echo.epa.gov/detailed-facility-report?fid=TXR1506ZI) shows coverage active since September 1, 2026. It names the builder.
- **What it says.** One round of crane work was scheduled to end in early 2026, and new grading coverage began that September. That pattern fits a next building or phase starting as the first is finished.

### Prime Data Centers Elk Grove Village campus, Elk Grove Village, Illinois

The sources Spezia read still describe this campus as announced. The records say more.

- **The cranes.** [FAA case 2026-AGL-8473-OE](https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/asn-display/asn-case-display-page.html?asn=2026-AGL-8473-OE) is a 350-foot crane with work from June 29, 2026 to December 31, 2026. Two more mobile cranes are filed, of 230 and 275 feet, with work running from November 2025 to November 2026.
- **The grading.** [EPA stormwater record ILR10ZC4M](https://echo.epa.gov/detailed-facility-report?fid=ILR10ZC4M) has been active since August 8, 2023.
- **The generators.** [EPA air record IL000031440AWZ](https://echo.epa.gov/detailed-facility-report?fid=IL000031440AWZ) lists an operating air facility, first recorded September 29, 2025.
- **What it says.** Cranes on file, grading coverage and an air facility on record point past the announcement stage, whatever the news says.

## Records that run ahead of the news

The last example is not rare. 15 projects that the sources call announced, approved or unstated have a construction filing with the FAA received, or stormwater coverage begun, in the year to November 13, 2026. For a supplier, those are the projects where the window may be open before anyone has announced a groundbreaking.

The FAA records also say how big the work is. Spezia has tied 105 FAA filings to tracked projects, 61 of them cranes. The median crane is 254 feet. On 20 projects, a filing names the builder, which can be the first public sign of who holds the job. [Who builds U.S. data centers](https://spezia.ai/blog/who-builds-data-centers) counts those firms.

## What about satellite images and site videos?

They help, with care. Spezia reads free satellite images of pinned sites and public drone and news videos of tracked projects. Each reading is the judgment of a model looking at an image, so it is shown inside a project's file with how sure it is, and never stands in for a record.

Few projects have one yet: 11 projects reported under construction have a usable site video reading, and 4 projects in all have a satellite reading. Both groups are under 25 projects, so this post does not count what the readings show.

## How to check a data center project yourself

1. **Search the FAA.** The [FAA's OE/AAA site](https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/portal.jsp) lists filings by state and city. Look for cranes at the site's address, their heights and the work dates.
2. **Search EPA's records.** [EPA ECHO](https://echo.epa.gov/facilities/facility-search) lists construction stormwater coverage and air facilities by place. Note the start date, and whether it is the site's own date or a statewide permit date.
3. **Read the county file.** Zoning or special use cases, site plans and building permits say what was approved and when.
4. **Check the utility.** A service agreement or tariff filing at the state utility commission ties power to the load.
5. **Count the sources.** One article repeated by others is one source. Two outlets reporting separately, or one report plus a record, is stronger.

[How to vet a data center project](https://spezia.ai/blog/how-to-vet-a-data-center-project) lists the ten questions to ask after the records. The live counts behind this post, refreshed every run, are on [the tracker's method page](https://spezia.ai/data-centers/method). The figures come from Spezia's research run that finished November 9, 2026, with the FAA and EPA records read on November 13, 2026. The tracker re-researches every project each week and merges records of one project as it finds them, so later counts on the live tracker will differ.

Every tracked project in Spezia has its FAA cranes, EPA permits, public filings, site videos and satellite readings in one file, each with its date and link. [Check a project's records](https://spezia.ai/tools/buildout)

## How this was made

Status comes from Spezia's research run that finished November 9, 2026: a project is "under construction" only when a source says so in a quote found word for word on the cited page. FAA crane filings and EPA air and stormwater records were read on November 13, 2026 and tied to a project only when they name it, its owner or its builder, or sit at its pinned site and say data center; a record that fits two projects equally is dropped. Public filings come from Spezia's search of each live project's records, which reaches the largest projects first. Counts are of project records, 1,047 in all. What the video and satellite readings show is not counted here, because each group is under 25 projects.

## Frequently asked questions

### How can I tell if a data center is actually under construction?

Look for records filed to do the work: an FAA filing for a crane at the site, construction stormwater permit coverage, an air permit for the generators and a county building permit. Each has a date and a case number. A news report that construction has started is a claim until one of these backs it.

### Do data center construction cranes have to be filed with the FAA?

Under 14 CFR 77.9, notice is required for construction more than 200 feet above ground, and for lower construction near an airport or heliport. Many cranes on large data center sites are tall enough. The FAA publishes the filings, with the location, height and work dates.

### What does an EPA stormwater permit say about a data center site?

Construction that disturbs one acre or more needs stormwater permit coverage, so the coverage date is about when grading can begin. EPA's records list the site, the operator and the status. Some states report only the statewide permit's start date, which says less about when one site began.

### How many data centers reported under construction have public records?

In Spezia's tracker, as of the run that finished November 9, 2026, 42 of 290 projects reported under construction had an FAA or EPA record, and 146 had a public record of any kind. Approved projects: 18 of 118. Announced: 13 of 343.

### Can satellite images prove a data center is being built?

They can show earthwork and large roofs, but free images are about 10 meters a pixel, so they cannot show equipment or interior work, and clouds delay them. A satellite or video reading is useful next to a record, not in place of one.

## Sources

1. [Spezia U.S. data center project tracker, research run of November 9, 2026](https://spezia.ai/tools/buildout), Spezia
2. [Obstruction Evaluation / Airport Airspace Analysis (OE/AAA): notices of proposed construction (Form 7460-1)](https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/portal.jsp), Federal Aviation Administration
3. [14 CFR 77.9: Construction or alteration requiring notice](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-E/part-77/subpart-B/section-77.9), Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
4. [Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO): facility search](https://echo.epa.gov/facilities/facility-search), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
5. [Stormwater discharges from construction activities](https://www.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater-discharges-construction-activities), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

## Cite this

Spezia. "Is that data center really being built? The public records that prove it" Spezia, November 13, 2026. https://spezia.ai/blog/is-the-data-center-being-built