Find out what kills the site before you buy the land.
GridPermit turns fragmented parcel records, utility correspondence, zoning code, and your own project assumptions into a defensible answer: can this specific site plausibly carry a 50–300 MW load on your schedule — and what has to be confirmed in writing before capital moves.
What is happening with data center power right now.
Common questions about site diligence.
What is a data center site feasibility study?
A structured review of whether a specific parcel can actually support a data center at a stated power load — covering power and utility interconnection, zoning and entitlement, water and wastewater, environmental and physical constraints, commercial readiness, and community/political risk. GridPermit's version is called a Preliminary Site Kill Test: it grades the evidence behind every claim and ends in a single recommendation (kill, pause, or advance) instead of a hedged narrative.
How do I get my land assessed for a data center?
If you own a parcel near transmission or substation infrastructure and want to know whether it's a realistic fit for a data center buyer, submit a landowner inquiry below (no cost, no obligation). GridPermit doesn't buy land or represent buyers directly — the inquiry goes into our sourcing pipeline and we reach out if it fits a client's active search.
How is a Kill Test different from a full utility or engineering study?
A Kill Test is a preliminary desktop review, not a substitute for one. It is not a promise of available power, a utility system-impact study, an engineering certification, legal advice, or a permit guarantee. Its job is to surface a likely fatal issue, or the specific fact you need confirmed in writing, before you spend money on those deeper studies or close on land.
How much does a data center site assessment cost, and how long does it take?
A single-site Kill Test runs $12,500–$20,000 and delivers in 7–10 business days. A two-site comparison and an expedited priority assessment are also available — see Pricing below for the full breakdown.
What load size and geography does GridPermit cover?
GridPermit evaluates sites nationwide. Our deepest, continuously-verified research today covers large-load tariffs and interconnection guidance for dozens of utilities across roughly 20 states — see Coverage for exactly what's on file for your state right now. A state or utility not yet listed there isn't a reason we can't take the engagement — real, sourced research starts the day you qualify, same as everywhere else. The standard Kill Test evaluates 50–300 MW data center loads; for 300 MW–multi-GW hyperscale campus programs, see the Hyperscale / Gigawatt Campus Assessment below — a separate, scoped-per-engagement offering.
Do you evaluate hyperscale or gigawatt-scale campus sites?
Yes, as a separate engagement from the standard Kill Test. Above roughly 300 MW, the diligence shifts from a utility's distribution-level tariff process to transmission-level interconnection queues, from a single parcel's zoning to multi-parcel land assembly, and from a water-capacity check to water-rights diligence — different work, not a bigger version of the same report. Contact us to scope a Hyperscale / Gigawatt Campus Assessment.
What makes GridPermit's diligence different from a typical site-selection report?
Every factual claim carries an evidence-maturity grade — from a public map layer up through a utility's written, parcel-specific confirmation — so a proximity guess is never presented with the same confidence as a confirmed fact. Findings are also non-compensating: a single confirmed fatal risk (a prohibitive zoning conflict, a floodway over the buildable area, no credible utility pathway) ends in a kill recommendation regardless of how well the site scores elsewhere.
Large-load projects don't usually fail loudly.
They fail quietly, months in, on one assumption nobody wrote down and confirmed. GridPermit exists to surface that assumption before the parcel is under contract.
We don't grade a site on a map layer.
Every claim in a GridPermit report carries a maturity rating, not just a citation. Proximity to a substation is not proof of capacity. A zoning district label is not proof of use. A phone call is discovery, not evidence. Here is the ladder a claim has to climb before we'll rely on it for a go/no-go call.
Read the full methodology → — including the real bugs we've caught in our own data pipeline, and what we deliberately don't claim to verify.
No hedged conclusions.
Every Kill Test closes with a single, unambiguous recommendation and the specific action it implies.
Stop spend now
A likely fatal condition exists, or the concept is fundamentally mismatched to the site. Redesign or pick another parcel.
Get it in writing first
The site may work, but a decisive fact is unconfirmed. We name exactly what to obtain before you close on land.
No fatal issue found
At the preliminary evidence level, nothing kills the site. Extend land control and move into utility studies and entitlements.
We check the whole site, not just power.
Power & utility
Territory, infrastructure proximity, tariff and interconnection pathway, next required utility action.
Zoning & entitlement
Governing code, use classification, by-right vs. discretionary path, overlays, pending amendments.
Water & wastewater
Serving entity, capacity confirmation, cooling-driven demand, rights and permitting exposure.
Environmental & physical
Floodplain, habitat, airport/FAA limits, access and construction-traffic feasibility.
Commercial readiness
Site control, timeline fit, load-and-schedule consistency, documented financial capability.
Community & political risk
Prior controversies, likely opposition sources, hearing calendar, schedule exposure.
How the screen works, and what it cannot tell you.
Public data, shown with its source
Every finding names where it came from: a tariff filing, a county parcel record, a federal map layer. If a source is missing or a layer failed to load, the report says so instead of filling the gap.
Owners are not sellers
Owner names come from county records. Nothing in a screen says an owner wants to sell, and a quiet-looking parcel may still be listed or under contract. Confirm the boundary and owner with the county before anyone is contacted.
Power is the question that decides
A nearby line is not a commitment. No screen here promises capacity: only the serving utility can say whether power is real, and the report names the next question to put to them.
Terrain is a coarse elevation estimate and can miss a small ravine. Flood, wetland, seismic, habitat, protected-land, road and rail checks are desktop screens, not surveys. A GridPermit screen is where diligence starts, not a replacement for engineering review. See the methodology and state coverage.
Priced per decision, or by subscription for ongoing screening.
| Engagement | Scope | Delivery | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-site Kill Test | One site, one base load scenario, 50–300 MW | 7–10 business days | $12,500–$20,000 |
| Two-site comparison | Two sites under common assumptions | 10–15 business days | $22,500–$35,000 |
| Priority assessment | Single site plus executive calls, expedited | 3–5 business days | $25,000–$40,000 |
| Hyperscale / Gigawatt Campus Assessment | 300 MW–multi-GW campus programs — transmission-level interconnection, water rights, multi-parcel land assembly. A different methodology track from the Kill Test above, not a bigger version of it. See the scoping framework → | Scoped per engagement | Contact us to scope |
| Monitoring add-on | Regulatory, zoning, tariff, and evidence change tracking | Monthly | $2,500–$7,500/mo |
| Screening API | Site screens, large-load tariff terms and filing-change alerts through an API key, for teams that screen many sites. See how it works or the free open-data API for a sample. | Pilot, by invitation | Contact us for pilot pricing |
Ask about the screening API pilot.
For brokers, developers and consultants who screen many sites. Tell us what you screen and where, and we will reply by email with how the pilot works and what it would cost.
Tell us about the site and the decision in front of you.
Whether you're evaluating a parcel to buy or lease for a data center, or you own land you think might be a fit for one, start here.
We accept engagements where the ideal load target is 50–300 MW, with an identifiable parcel or a bounded shortlist and a real decision 30–90 days out. We also take studies below and above that range. If your project isn't quite the shape described here, tell us anyway — we'll say so directly.
If you own a parcel near transmission or substation infrastructure and would consider selling or leasing it for a data center, tell us about it. We don't buy land or represent buyers directly — this goes into our sourcing pipeline and we'll reach out if it's a fit for a client's search.