Data Centers: Weekly Briefing // August 31 - September 3, 2026

📋 This Week's Decisions

Just Passed ✔️

State Legislation

• New Jersey: Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation requiring data centers to report electricity and water use to the Board of Public Utilities every six months for three years, completing the second piece of her four-part data center plan. The law follows July's Data Center Fair Share law, which created a separate rate structure so residential customers don't subsidize grid costs; Sherrill rejected calls for a statewide moratorium, saying municipalities already have authority to impose local restrictions.
• California: The legislature unanimously passed SB 1168, directing the Public Utilities Commission to ensure data centers cover their fair share of transmission and distribution costs rather than passing them to residential ratepayers. The bill, authored by Sen. Jerry McNerney, now heads to the governor's desk; the state expects 2.3 gigawatts of new data center demand by 2030.

Moratoriums Approved

• Forest Park, GA: City Council approved a 90-day moratorium on data centers to draft zoning changes defining the use, setting residential buffers and creating a community advisory committee, after existing by-right rules allowed Digital Realty to build a facility in the city.
• Mead, CO: Trustees voted 4-2 to impose a 12-month moratorium on data centers, pausing new applications while staff study infrastructure, water use and setbacks; the pause could end sooner if the review finishes early.
• Harpersville, AL: The town adopted a six-month moratorium on data centers even though no developer has approached the town, planning monthly informational sessions for residents after learning nearby towns have already been contacted by developers.
• Escondido, CA: City Council unanimously approved a 45-day moratorium on new AI data centers and expansions, with no pending applications currently on file; the pause could extend up to a year, with findings due Oct. 10.
• Dougherty County, GA: Commissioners voted unanimously to extend the county's data center moratorium another 180 days, with no cap on how many times it can be renewed; officials revisit the issue at a planning and zoning meeting Sept. 3.
• Rowan County, KY: The Fiscal Court approved a two-year moratorium on large-scale data centers, with the judge-executive saying no developer has approached the county but the pause is needed since it lacks zoning rules to review a project if one arrived.
• Winchester, KY: The city commission voted unanimously to impose a one-year moratorium on data center development within city limits, to study impacts and gather community input; the pause doesn't extend to the rest of Clark County.
• Newton Falls, OH: Council unanimously approved a 12-month moratorium on data centers, with the sponsor framing it as a planning tool rather than outright opposition, while one councilman pushed unsuccessfully for a permanent ban instead.

Regulations Passed

• West Hempfield Township, PA: Supervisors approved an ordinance regulating data centers, setting limits on facility size and proximity to residential and agricultural areas, following strong resident pressure for tighter controls; the planning commission will review further amendments on noise and water use.
• Fort Payne, AL: City Council unanimously approved an ordinance classifying data centers and battery storage systems as conditional uses requiring Board of Zoning Adjustment and council review with public hearings, following an earlier six-month moratorium that remains in effect until Dec. 15.
• Jefferson, TX: City Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing data center development within city limits, despite no formal proposals, citing Gov. Greg Abbott's statewide grid-connection pause as a signal to act preemptively; the city's reliance on the Southwest Power Pool rather than ERCOT leaves it with fewer state-level protections.
• Wixom, MI: Officials ended their six-month moratorium early and adopted stricter zoning restrictions, including a 1,500-foot setback from homes, schools and parks, a ban on well water, and mandatory sound studies. The move follows a federal lawsuit from developer Wixom Industrial One, LLC, which claims the moratorium illegally targeted its 519,400-square-foot Midwinds Park project; roughly 100 residents at an Aug. 26 meeting urged the city to make the ordinance as restrictive as possible.

Projects Approved

• Appomattox County, VA: Supervisors approved a performance agreement for a data center project during a closed session, tying annual developer payments to tax revenue generated by the facility; the agreement's text has not yet been released publicly, drawing resident frustration over transparency.
• Laramie County, WY: Commissioners approved a zone change for Vantage Data Centers' proposed 1,835-acre "Project Latigo" campus south of Cheyenne, allowing site planning to proceed under Planned Unit Development standards. The $20 billion project could create up to 2,000 jobs and would use on-site natural gas generation and closed-loop cooling.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Indiantown, FL: The Village Council voted 4-1 against a moratorium on hyperscale data center applications, saying they want new legal counsel to draft language that can withstand a legal challenge. Immediately after, the council fired Village Manager Taryn Kryzda and removed Village Attorney Wade Vose, appointing an interim manager as residents pressed for safeguards on two proposed projects, "Project Growler" and "Project Beskar."
• Fresno, CA: City Council is debating a resolution that would ban new data centers for 10 years, backed by Mayor Jerry Dyer, who says the facilities consume too much water and electricity for too few jobs. A councilmember wants the ban to take effect faster and is pushing to make any nondisclosure agreements with companies public; Dyer is separately preparing a December code change formally defining and prohibiting data centers in zoning rules.
• Pima County, AZ: The county health department released a public health framework developed with Johns Hopkins researchers, identifying 21 pathways for data center impacts on air, water, heat and disease. Attorney General Kris Mayes cited the review in renewing her call for a statewide pause, warning Arizona lacks sufficient water and power amid Colorado River cuts.
• Piqua, OH: Residents opposed to Meta's approved data center are pushing charter amendments and recall petitions against three city leaders, but the Miami County Board of Elections says the filings missed the Aug. 5 deadline, putting their spot on the November ballot in doubt while the board seeks guidance from the county prosecutor.
• Imperial County, CA: A Superior Court issued a tentative ruling siding with the City of Imperial in its challenge to a proposed data center near residential neighborhoods, citing substantial evidence of potential impacts on energy, water, air quality, fire safety and traffic; the mayor called the litigation about ensuring impacts are fully evaluated, with proceedings still ongoing.
• Bulloch County, GA: Commissioners narrowly rejected an outright ban on data centers in unincorporated areas, 4-3, with the chairman casting the tie-breaking vote against it over legal risk concerns; the county's existing moratorium stays in place through Dec. 31 while regulations are drafted.
• Barber County, KS: Commissioners held a special meeting Sept. 1 to consider finalizing an agreement with Google for "Project Helium," a hyperscale data center north of Sharon that could create 500 jobs; residents remain divided over economic benefits versus infrastructure strain.
• North Dakota: A legislative committee recommended rejecting Senate Bill 2406, which would have penalized data center developers entering nondisclosure agreements with public agencies, though it amended the bill to preserve agencies' own ability to use confidentiality agreements. A separate committee studying data centers and AI expects to bring legislation in the 2027 regular session.
• Kokomo, IN: The Common Council advanced an ordinance 6-2 allowing data centers on industrial sites with 200-foot residential setbacks but no added utility, noise or infrastructure rules, rejecting calls for a moratorium; final approval is set for the Sept. 14 meeting.
• North Port, FL commissioners are weighing a temporary moratorium while reviewing an 896,000-square-foot data center proposal in the Yorkshire area, with a workshop set for Sept. 3 and a final vote on the pause Sept. 8.
• Middlesex Township, PA again postponed a vote on the proposed PAX-1 data center, rescheduling for Sept. 2 after a medical emergency interrupted the prior meeting; officials are expected to consider six of the project's 16 planned buildings.
• Perryville, MO is strengthening its draft data center ordinance even with no project proposed, considering a 500-foot setback, a 50,000-gallon daily water cap, a groundwater ban and mandatory environmental and noise assessments in a third revision taken up Sept. 1.
• Portland, OR is moving toward restrictions on nondisclosure agreements in data center negotiations after a council committee recommended the measure, though advocates are pushing for enforceable bans or moratoriums instead.
• Eatonville, FL's town council declined to raise fines against HostDime over repeated missed deadlines on its AI data center, leaving the existing $250-per-day penalty in place despite nearly $100,000 in accumulated fines.
• Gage County, NE residents packed a hearing urging commissioners to extend the county's data center moratorium from eight to 18 months, citing impacts near residential subdivisions; commissioners plan to decide within two weeks.
• Port Angeles, WA City Council voted 5-1 to direct staff to draft a six-month moratorium on new data center applications, with the language expected back by Sept. 15 to close a filing window before new rules take effect.

📅 Upcoming Meetings

• Dougherty County, GA: Planning and zoning meeting to continue drafting rules, Sept. 3.
• North Port, FL: Data center impact workshop, Sept. 3; final vote on the proposed moratorium, Sept. 8.
• Kokomo, IN: Common Council final vote on the ordinance, Sept. 14.
• Escondido, CA: Findings and recommendations on permanent rules presented, Oct. 10.

👀 In case you missed it...

Read something interesting from this weekly briefing? You can read more about it below.

Data Centers: Daily Notes | September 03, 2026

North Dakota lawmakers recommended rejecting a bill; Fresno will consider a resolution to ban new data centers for 10 years; Newton Falls unanimously approved a 12-month moratorium; Port Angeles; Imperial County; Gage County; Piqua. READ MORE.

Strisker - Short-term rental and data center regulationsGenelaine Urbano

Data Centers: Daily Notes | September 02, 2026

Rowan County approved a two-year moratorium; Winchester unanimously imposed a one-year moratorium on data center; West Hempfield Township approved data center regulations; Fort Payne; Bulloch County; Laramie County, Portland; Indiantown; Eatonville. READ MORE.

Strisker - Short-term rental and data center regulationsGenelaine Urbano

Data Centers: Daily Notes | September 01, 2026

California unanimously approved SB 1168; Perryville is considering a third draft of its data center ordinance; Pima County; Dougherty County; Forest Park; Appomattox County; Mead; Harpersville, Escondido. READ MORE.

Strisker - Short-term rental and data center regulationsGenelaine Urbano

Data Centers: Daily Notes | August 31, 2026

New Jersey enacted data center transparency requirements; Kokomo advanced an ordinance; North Port; Jefferson; Middlesex Township; Effingham County; Barber County; Wixom. READ MORE.

Strisker - Short-term rental and data center regulationsGenelaine Urbano

🌟 Most Clicked Link

Township supervisors set to vote on Cumberland County data center after delays

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)– Middlesex Township supervisors could vote to give final approval to a controversial data center project on Wednesday night, but the public has been stanchly opp…

ABC27Brady Doran

Township supervisors set to vote on Cumberland County data center after delays

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