Hill County, Texas

Hill County commissioners voted to impose a one-year pause on new data center construction in unincorporated areas, making it the first Texas county to issue a moratorium on the industry.

The county had been weighing a proposed 300-acre development from Dallas-based Provident Data Centers in north Hillsboro. County Attorney David Holmes warned commissioners they could face lawsuits either way. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt has already asked Attorney General Ken Paxton to investigate counties that pass moratoriums. Neighboring Hood County, with at least eight large projects pending, rejected a similar pause.

Harford County, Maryland

Harford County is advancing two parallel measures to halt data center development. County Executive Bob Cassilly has proposed a permanent ban, with a public hearing set for June 9. Councilmember Jacob Bennett is pursuing a parallel moratorium extended to 180 days, with a hearing on May 19, to bridge the gap.

Residents wearing green have packed council chambers. Delegate Lauren Arikan and grass-roots group Our Land Our Home Our Harford have urged the council to skip the dual-track approach and pass emergency legislation instead.

Seattle, Washington

Councilmembers introducing moratorium on data centers in Seattle - Seattle City Council Blog

Councilmember Debora Juarez (District 5), Councilmember Eddie Lin (District 2), and Council President Joy Hollingsworth (District 3) announced plans to introduce an emergency moratorium on the siting of new data centers in Seattle. The bill will be paired with a resolution calling for impact studies of data centers on city infrastructure, water usage, utility rates, land use, jobs and public health. Data centers around the country have come under increased scrutiny recently as their high energy consumption and environmental impacts have led to rising electricity rates for consumers, sparking a significant public outcry.

Seattle City Council BlogCity Council News Releases

Seattle's City Council is weighing a one-year ban on big new data centers, drafted over concerns that data center power demand could push up residents' electric bills.

Two companies are pursuing three projects in the city, down from four companies and five projects originally. Councilmember Eddie Lin said a city-only ban is weaker than regional or statewide rules because projects could shift to Bellevue and still drive up rates through the integrated grid. Councilmember Bob Kettle warned against knee-jerk reactions that could cost tech jobs. The moratorium still needs full council approval before reaching the mayor.

Rockdale County, Georgia

Rockdale County extended its moratorium on data center and battery energy storage applications through Sept. 8, 2026, giving officials more time to review zoning, infrastructure and community impacts.

Resolution 2026-12 amends the earlier Resolution 2026-01 and runs alongside the county's Unified Development Ordinance update, which is intended to consolidate zoning, subdivision, environmental and sign regulations. The board also extended two other moratoria through the same date, covering certain residential care facilities and specific residential development activities.

Home | Rockdale

Rockdale

Jackson Township, Ohio

Jackson Township trustees approved a one-year moratorium (Resolution 2026-049) on new data center development, though residents pressed trustees on what the pause does not cover.

The Franklin County order temporarily blocks permits and zoning approvals on unincorporated township land. Trustees acknowledged they would lose control if a proposed site is annexed into Grove City, where zoning authority would shift to city government. That gap is driving a grass-roots push to get Grove City Council to adopt its own moratorium. Data centers are not currently permitted under Grove City zoning.

Union Township, New Jersey

Union's Township Committee approved the first reading of an ordinance that would prohibit AI data centers in all zoning districts.

The ordinance cites the extraordinary amounts of electrical power, water, cooling resources, and telecommunications infrastructure that large-scale AI facilities require, along with concerns about public health, noise and backup fuel storage. The measure now heads to the Union Planning Board for consistency review and could return for final consideration in June. The proposal follows mounting opposition to CoreWeave's $1.8 billion AI data center under construction at the former Merck site in Kenilworth, which borders Union.

Citrus County, Florida

Citrus County commissioners voted to direct staff to draft a temporary moratorium on data center approvals, capping the pause at 12 months.

The pause would apply to building permits, development orders and rezonings. Chair Diana Finegan said the county has studied data centers since February, and the moratorium is driven in part by Deltona Corporation's filing for roughly 800-plus acres at Holder Industrial Park.

Pulaski County, Arkansas

The Pulaski County Quorum Court voted to send five data center-related measures back to the planning board for 90 days of review after a heated debate over Google and AVAIO projects.

Google's proposed campus is planned for the Port of Little Rock. AVAIO Digital has announced an initial $6 billion investment that could grow into a $21 billion development across about 760 acres, with power demand up to one gigawatt. Local utilities and the chamber launched LRDataCentersFacts.com the same day to address community concerns. County officials said projects already in progress could begin building within 30 days.

Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth City Council postponed its vote on a $10 billion data center site plan to June 23, less than three hours before the scheduled discussion.

The site plan covers a 187-acre portion of a 431-acre rezoning near Forest Hill and Everman approved in 2025 for Fort Worth-based energy consortium Black Mountain. The campus would include four buildings and an Oncor substation dedicated to delivering power only to the data center. Over 30 people had registered to speak. Council member Chris Nettles said the delay lets the council first hear a staff briefing on data centers set for June 2.

South Annville Township, Pennsylvania

A York-based developer withdrew its rezoning petition for a proposed $1.7 billion data center in South Annville Township on Tuesday, ending the project after months of organized opposition.

The applicant, 1235 Martina Drive Owner LLC, is a joint venture between Inch & Co. and Eastern Land & Resources Co. It had sought to rezone about 58 acres of new industrial zoning across four parcels totaling roughly 99 acres along Mount Pleasant Road near U.S. Route 422. The concept called for five buildings of about 150,000 square feet each. The township Planning Commission had voted on May 5 against recommending the rezoning, and organizers collected more than 500 signatures opposing it.

Social Listening 🎧: Podcast

Policy talk doesn’t just happen in the news cycle—it can also live in long-form audio. STRisker’s Podcast Signal turns hours of episodes into actionable insight, indexing transcripts so you can surface key mentions of STRs, ordinances, and local decision-makers in seconds.

Create Your Watchlist - 14 Day Free Trial

👍 We’d love your feedback.
Which stories hit? Which ones missed?

We're exploring a new branch of topics centered around Data Centers and want to make it even more useful for you.

✉️ Just reply directly to this email. We read and respond to every message!

-Will McClure
🙋 P.S.
Know someone else who should be reading Daily Notes? Feel free to forward this along. We’re opening a few more spots.