More Than a Dozen U.S. States Consider Temporary Data Center Bans

Maine lawmakers have approved a bill potentially making it the first U.S. state to impose a moratorium on new data centers, a move seen as a test case amid growing local opposition to large facilities powering Washington’s AI race against Beijing.

The Maine bill, which still needs a final nod from Democratic Governor Janet Mills, would freeze approvals for data centers requiring more than 20 megawatts of power until October 2027, while a state-appointed council analyzes their impact on the local grid, electricity bills, air, and water.

A dozen other states are considering a moratorium on data centers. Here is the most recent list of U.S. states that have had bills targeting data centers introduced in their legislatures.

State	Bill	Description
Georgia	HB 1012	Bars counties and cities from issuing permits, licenses, or certificates for the construction or development of new data centers until March 1, 2027, with an exception for approvals issued before July 1, 2026.
Maryland	HB 120	Prohibits the construction of new data centers unless the General Assembly enacts legislation related to co-location with new or existing power generation (including natural gas, nuclear, or small modular reactors, or SMRs).
Michigan	House Resolution 240	A statewide moratorium that calls for a temporary pause on state incentives for data centers.
New Hampshire	HB 1265	Prohibits the construction of a new data center anywhere in the state for one year from the act’s effective date and forms a committee to study the environmental impacts of data centers.
Minnesota	SF 4298	Bars state and local governments from issuing permits for data centers until a year after the Public Utility Commission submits a report on data center development scenarios in the state.
New York	S9144	Imposes a statewide moratorium on permits for new data centers and directs the Public Service Commission to come up with a plan to minimize their impact on electricity and gas rates.
Oklahoma	SB 1488	Imposes a moratorium on building new data centers until November 1, 2029, and tasks the Oklahoma Corporation Commission with studying the impact on water supply, utility rates, property values, and site locations.
South Carolina	H 5286	Bars state and local governments from granting permits, approvals, or incentives for new data centers until January 1, 2028.
South Dakota	SB 232 / HB 1301	Sets a one-year moratorium on the construction or expansion of hyperscale data centers. The House bill imposes a moratorium while also addressing cost/risk allocation tied to electricity usage by data centers.
Vermont	S 205	Creates a temporary moratorium through July 2030 while regulators study impacts and recommend a regulatory framework.
Virginia	HB 1515	Bars localities from granting final approvals for rezonings/special permits for new data centers until specified grid-interconnection conditions are met.
Wisconsin	LRB-6377/1	Creates a statewide moratorium on data centers by prohibiting the operation of a data center unless the legislature first enacts rules, such as a statewide planning authority and explicit bans on shifting data center energy and water costs onto residential customers.

Creates a statewide moratorium on data centers by prohibiting the operation of a data center unless the legislature first enacts rules, such as a statewide planning authority and explicit bans on shifting data center energy and water costs onto residential customers.

(Reporting by Valerie Volcovici; additional reporting by Chris Thomas; Editing by Pooja Desai)