Data Centers: Weekly Briefing // September 21-24, 2026

📋 This Week's Decisions

Just Passed ✔️

• Baltimore County, MD: The Council voted unanimously to extend its data center moratorium through at least the end of 2027, with councilmembers saying industry companies haven't adequately answered questions on environmental impact; the county's own planning board study was only just delivered and hasn't yet been reviewed.
• North Mankato, MN: City Council passed a one-year moratorium and study with overwhelming support, following an earlier hearing that drew growing resident participation over more than a month of deliberation.
• Kershaw County, SC: Council unanimously passed a third and final reading of a one-year moratorium on data centers, cryptocurrency mining and data processing facilities, giving officials a year to study the industry.
• North Port, FL: Commissioners approved an 18-month moratorium on new applications in a 3-2 vote, though the measure excludes a roughly 900,000-square-foot data center already proposed in the city, over dissenting commissioners' objections.
• Fayette County, OH: Commissioners moved to approve a roughly eight-month moratorium covering seven townships, after a commissioner reversed his initial opposition following public comment backed by resolutions from seven township governments.
• Zionsville, IN: Town Council approved a one-year moratorium on data centers, solar and wind farms, and battery storage systems, directing the Plan Commission to review the town's zoning code since none of these uses currently have a permitted category.
• Normal, IL: The Town Council voted 6-1 to extend its data center moratorium through May 31, 2027, saying it wants to wait for possible state legislation before finalizing local rules.
• Marshall County, IA: The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a six-month moratorium on data center, AI computing, data mining and cryptocurrency applications, working "from scratch" since few comparable county ordinances exist to reference.
• Woodbury, MN: City Council approved a moratorium on new data centers and expansion beyond existing approvals, broadening it before the vote to also cover building, electrical and right-of-way permits.
• Tulare County, CA: The Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to extend its data center moratorium another 10 months, giving staff more time than the original 45-day window to draft permanent zoning rules.
• Salem, OR: City Council gave final approval to a 120-day moratorium, giving the city's new Data Center Task Force more time to study regulations ahead of town halls in October and recommendations in December.

Regulations Passed

• Wakulla County, FL: Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance explicitly prohibiting data centers throughout unincorporated areas, formalizing a ban staff said already existed in practice under the county's zoning code.
• Raritan Township, NJ: The Committee adopted an ordinance banning data centers throughout the municipality, closing off potential workarounds through warehouses or flex spaces while carving out a narrow exception for accessory server rooms under 2,000 square feet.
• Calexico, CA: City Council voted 3-0 to become the third California city to ban data centers, amending the zoning code to expressly prohibit the facilities after a process that began as a proposed moratorium in June.
• Pulaski County, AR: The Quorum Court passed an ordinance regulating high-density digital infrastructure in an 11-4 vote after months of failed attempts, addressing electrical demand, water capacity and decommissioning; the ordinance now awaits the county judge's signature, with an override vote available Oct. 27 if vetoed.

💬 Catch Up on Discussions

• Statesboro, GA is facing a lawsuit seeking to overturn its rezoning approval for a proposed 99-megawatt data center, with petitioners arguing the project sits right at the hyperscale threshold the city's own ordinance was meant to exclude, just a month after that ordinance took effect.
• Vineland, NJ: New Jersey fined DataOne's data center $1.07 million, the largest data center enforcement action in state history, after inspectors found 62 natural-gas generators running without required air pollution permits; the company has 45 days to obtain permits or halt the equipment.
• Chesterfield County, VA: The Board of Supervisors deferred a vote for the second time on an ordinance that would use data center tax revenue to cut the county's car tax rate, pushing the decision to Nov. 18; the county expects billions from nine projects, though several won't be operational for years due to a Dominion Energy power capacity shortfall.
• Buffalo, NY: A proposed two-year data center ban moved a step closer to passage after a public hearing showed enough council support to pass, with the sponsor saying he expects a possibly unanimous vote next Tuesday; it remains unclear whether the mayor will sign it.
• Raton, NM: The City Commission voted 3-2 to reject a resolution that would have paused business licenses and zoning approvals for data centers, with dissenting commissioners citing existing utility safeguards and the absence of any current proposal; a resident had submitted 477 signatures supporting the pause.
• Yellowstone County, MT commissioners drafted a letter asking state lawmakers to clarify Montana's Right to Compute Act to preserve local zoning authority over data centers, amid backlash over a Broadview project that a grassroots group failed to get onto November's ballot.
• Boston, MA: A city councilor introduced a proposal to ban new data center construction citywide, closing a potential loophole for facilities classified under broader zoning categories; the move follows Gov. Maura Healey's Sept. 8 executive order requiring local approval before state permitting.
• Prince William County, VA: The Board of Supervisors was set to vote Tuesday on ending automatic by-right approval for data centers and on Dominion Energy's request to expand its Vint Hill substation to power up to seven proposed buildings, with a resident rally planned outside the evening session.
• Reading, PA: The Planning Commission could vote next month on a zoning amendment limiting data centers to Heavy Manufacturing and Manufacturing Commercial districts, with the city's 180-day curative-amendment moratorium set to expire in January if the ordinance isn't adopted first.
• Warren County, OH commissioners directed the prosecutor's office to draft a temporary moratorium, saying the county's rural zoning code has no definitions or regulations for hyperscale facilities beyond the small co-location sites already operating in Lebanon and Deerfield Township.
• Potsdam, NY Town Board proposed a 12-month moratorium on large-scale data centers and cryptocurrency mining, with a public hearing on Local Law 2026-5 set for Nov. 5; the measure would apply outside the villages of Potsdam and Norwood.
• Oakland, CA: A City Council committee approved a proposed 45-day moratorium on new data centers, clearing the way for a full council vote Oct. 6, following similar recent pauses in Gilroy and Richmond.
• Lycoming County, PA's Planning Commission reviewed a draft curative amendment defining data centers in the county's zoning ordinance, a step set in motion in June to avoid exposure under Pennsylvania's fair share doctrine; public comment is expected to open ahead of hearings possibly starting in mid-November.
• Jasper County, SC Council held a second reading and public hearing Sept. 21 on a proposed one-year moratorium on data center development in unincorporated areas, aiming to close a zoning gap that currently allows facilities by right.
• Galesburg, IL City Council took up a first-reading ordinance establishing a 180-day moratorium on new permits, with officials saying they want to see what state legislation emerges before finalizing local rules.
• Kirksville, MO's Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend zoning amendments confining data centers to the city's single heavy industrial district, sending the package to a council study session Oct. 19 ahead of expected action Oct. 26.
• Kalamazoo, MI commissioners set a public hearing to formally embed the city's data center moratorium into its zoning code, making enforceable a pause that has existed only as a resolution until now.
• Fort Wayne, IN City Council delayed a vote on a proposed one-year moratorium by three weeks to Oct. 13, after members introduced multiple amendments requiring further review.

📅 Upcoming Meetings

• Buffalo, NY: Full council vote on the two-year ban, Sept. 29.
• Oakland, CA: Full council vote on the 45-day moratorium, Oct. 6.
• Fort Wayne, IN: Delayed council vote on the moratorium, Oct. 13.
• Kirksville, MO: Council study session on data center zoning, Oct. 19; possible action Oct. 26.
• Reading, PA: Possible Planning Commission vote on the zoning amendment, Oct. 20.
• Pulaski County, AR: Possible veto-override vote, Oct. 27, if the county judge rejects the ordinance.
• Potsdam, NY: Public hearing on the proposed moratorium, Nov. 5.
• Chesterfield County, VA: Deferred vote on the car-tax ordinance, Nov. 18.

👀 In case you missed it...

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A Guide to Understanding Data Center Bans

Learn what a data center ban is, its importance, examples, and the consequences of having permanent bans for data center projects.

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☀️ Most Clicked Link

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