The rapid expansion of AI and hyperscale infrastructure has triggered an unprecedented wave of local pauses, restrictions, and outright bans on new data center development across the United States. As of July 2026, more than 533 moratorium instruments have been documented nationwide, spanning 42 states and representing one of the fastest‑growing regulatory trends in the digital infrastructure sector.
National Overview
- 533 total moratorium instruments documented (up from 222 in April 2026).
- 283 new moratoria adopted between May 1 and July 31, 2026.
- Major cities—including Seattle, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Denver, Charlotte, and Montgomery County (MD)—have joined the wave.
- New states entering the moratorium map: Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina, Texas.
Latest Moratoriums by Jurisdiction (2025–2026)
Below is a curated list of the most recent, publicly documented moratoriums and bans.
Texas
San Marcos, TX — Full Ban (Citywide) San Marcos became the first Texas city to ban data centers outright, amending its Land Use Matrix to prohibit them in all zoning districts.
New Mexico
Santa Fe County, NM — 18‑Month Moratorium An 18‑month pause on large‑scale data centers while the county develops new land‑use, energy, and water rules.
Missouri
Springfield, MO — 120‑Day Moratorium A unanimous 8–0 vote halted new data center applications for 120 days to build a “public‑interest evaluation framework.”
Tennessee
Somerville, TN — 18‑Month Moratorium An 18‑month pause triggered by concerns related to a proposed bitcoin‑mining facility.
Massachusetts
Westfield, MA — 1‑Year Moratorium A one‑year pause to study zoning and health impacts associated with data center development.
Iowa
Linn County, IA — 18‑Month Moratorium (Active) The Board of Supervisors voted 2–1 to impose an 18‑month moratorium on rezoning land into the county’s large‑scale data center district.
California
Coachella, CA — Moratorium Extended into 2027 A 45‑day moratorium was enacted and later extended into 2027 while the city drafts a permanent ban.
Indiana
Indianapolis, IN — Pending Moratorium A development committee voted 10–3 to advance a moratorium through the end of 2027; awaiting full council approval.
Virginia
Prince William County, VA — Rejections (Not a Moratorium) While not a moratorium, the county has denied multiple major rezoning requests, signaling strong regulatory pressure.
Hanover County, VA — Rezoning Denied Another rejection tied to water, noise, and speculative development concerns.
Ohio
Statewide Legislation — Pending Ohio is considering legislation that would impose new cooling, rate‑class, and tariff requirements on data centers. Not a moratorium, but a major regulatory shift.
Alabama
Birmingham, AL — Strict Zoning Ordinance Not a moratorium, but a significant ordinance requiring closed‑loop cooling and large setbacks.
Additional Notable Moratorium Activity (National Trends)
The Moratorium Nation tracker highlights several broader patterns:
- Seattle, WA passed an emergency ordinance on June 9, 2026.
- Cleveland, OH enacted a three‑month moratorium on July 15, 2026.
- Minneapolis, MN; Denver, CO; Charlotte, NC; Montgomery County, MD all enacted moratoria in mid‑2026.
- Durham City and Durham County (NC) each passed separate moratoriums.
- DeKalb County, GA extended its moratorium to March 2027.
- Prince George’s County, MD renewed its moratorium for two more years.
| State | Moratorium / Ban Status | Notes / Example Jurisdictions |
| Alabama | Targeted restrictions | Birmingham – strict zoning and cooling rules (not a full moratorium). |
| Alaska | No known moratorium | Monitor local zoning and utility policy. |
| Arizona | Emerging scrutiny | High growth; watch county‑level actions. |
| Arkansas | No known moratorium | – |
| California | Local moratoria active | Coachella – extended moratorium, drafting permanent ban; other cities studying impacts. |
| Colorado | Local moratoria active | Denver – city‑level pause on new data centers. |
| Connecticut | No known moratorium | – |
| Delaware | No known moratorium | – |
| Florida | Local moratoria emerging | Some counties exploring pauses tied to power and land use. |
| Georgia | Local moratoria active | DeKalb County – extended moratorium; other Atlanta‑area jurisdictions tightening rules. |
| Hawaii | No known moratorium | – |
| Idaho | No known moratorium | – |
| Illinois | Emerging scrutiny | Watch Chicago metro for zoning and cooling rules. |
| Indiana | Pending moratorium | Indianapolis – moratorium proposal through end of 2027 advancing through council. |
| Iowa | Local moratoria active | Linn County – 18‑month moratorium on large‑scale data center rezoning. |
| Kansas | No known moratorium | Industrial sites flagged as high‑potential but not paused. |
| Kentucky | No known moratorium | – |
| Louisiana | No known moratorium | – |
| Maine | No known moratorium | – |
| Maryland | Local moratoria active | Montgomery County – moratorium; Prince George’s County – renewed moratorium for two years. |
| Massachusetts | Local moratoria active | Westfield – one‑year moratorium to study zoning and health impacts. |
| Michigan | Emerging scrutiny | Watch Detroit metro and utility‑driven constraints. |
| Minnesota | Local moratoria active | Minneapolis – city‑level moratorium on new data centers. |
| Mississippi | No known moratorium | – |
| Missouri | Local moratoria active | Springfield – 120‑day moratorium to develop evaluation framework. |
| Montana | No known moratorium | – |
| Nebraska | No known moratorium | – |
| Nevada | Local moratoria emerging | Some jurisdictions exploring pauses tied to water and power. |
| New Hampshire | No known moratorium | – |
| New Jersey | Emerging scrutiny | High‑density corridors; watch local zoning. |
| New Mexico | Local moratoria active | Santa Fe County – 18‑month moratorium on large‑scale data centers. |
| New York | Local moratoria / strict controls | Select towns and counties using zoning and special permits to slow growth. |
| North Carolina | Local moratoria active | Durham City & Durham County – separate moratoria; Charlotte – city‑level moratorium. |
| North Dakota | No known moratorium | – |
| Ohio | Statewide regulation pending | Proposed legislation on cooling, tariffs, and rate classes (not a pure moratorium). |
| Oklahoma | No known moratorium | – |
| Oregon | Emerging scrutiny | Watch Portland metro and Columbia River corridor. |
| Pennsylvania | Emerging scrutiny | Utility‑driven constraints; local zoning tightening. |
| Rhode Island | No known moratorium | – |
| South Carolina | Local moratoria emerging | Some counties exploring pauses tied to bitcoin mining and AI loads. |
| South Dakota | No known moratorium | – |
| Tennessee | Local moratoria active | Somerville – 18‑month moratorium linked to bitcoin mining concerns. |
| Texas | Local bans / moratoria active | San Marcos – full ban via land‑use matrix; other cities studying pauses. |
| Utah | Emerging scrutiny | High‑growth AI corridor; watch county‑level actions. |
| Vermont | No known moratorium | S.205 — Moratorium until July 1, 2030 |
| Virginia | Strong local resistance (de facto constraints) | Prince William & Hanover counties – major rezoning denials; policy pressure without formal moratorium. |
| Washington | Local moratoria active | Seattle – emergency ordinance pausing new data centers. |
| West Virginia | No known moratorium | – |
| Wisconsin | Emerging scrutiny | Watch utility and zoning changes. |
| Wyoming | No known moratorium | – |
References
Aggregate Trackers & Academic Research
- Moratorium Nation: U.S. Infrastructure Moratorium Tracker — Michael J. Bommarito II / ALEA Institute (533 instruments tracked across 50 states, open data, CC-BY-4.0) moratoriumation.com mjbommar.github.io
- “Moratorium Nation: A Survey of Data Center, Renewable Energy, and Battery Storage Moratoria in the United States” — Working Paper, Bommarito, April 2026 SSRN / CodeX, Stanford Center for Legal Informatics mjbommar.github.io
- The State of Data Center Policy in the United States — Dr. Lauren Bridges, DIGS Lab, University of Virginia / Tech Policy Press, June 2, 2026 techpolicy.press techpolicy.press
National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
- “Which States Are Banning Data Centers?” — NCSL, Updated July 1, 2026 (tracks 15 states with active moratorium bills) ncsl.org National Conference of State Legislatures
- “Subsidizing Servers: How States Are Competing to Attract Data Centers” — NCSL Policy Report ncsl.org National Conference of State Legislatures
Legal & Policy Analysis
- “Policymakers Consider Temporary Pause on AI Data Center Construction: What Stakeholders Need to Know” — Troutman Pepper Locke, May 14, 2026 troutman.com Troutman Pepper
- “Data Center Regulation by State 2026: Cost, Water, Disclosure & Noise Laws” — AI Laws USA ailawsusa.com ailawsbystate.com
- “New Data Center Legislation Roundup, April 2026” — S&P Global Market Intelligence spglobal.com spglobal.com
- “The Data Center Moratorium Wave Is Accelerating. Developers Need a New Site Screening Step.” — Build (industry analysis), June 2026 build.com build.inc
Key Local & State Incident Coverage
- “The Data Center Moratorium Wave: 9 Towns and Counties That Hit Pause in Late June 2026” — AI Laws USA, July 1, 2026 (covers TX, MO, TN, FL, MI, NY and others) ailawsusa.com ailawsusa.com
- “US Data Center Policy Tracker: Moratoriums, Rejections & Legislation” — AI Laws USA, July 2026 (rolling timeline of local actions) ailawsusa.com dcmap.us
- “Data Center Moratorium by State 2026: Every Bill, Status & Megawatt Threshold” — AI Laws Research Team, Updated May 17, 2026 ailawsusa.com ailawsbystate.com
Federal Context
- Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act (S. 4214) — Sen. Bernie Sanders & Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, introduced March 25, 2026 congress.gov spglobal.com