- Guilford County, Pima County, and Charlotte are pausing new data centers, but none of the pauses currently affect projects already under construction
- Pima County, AZ, has passed a 120-day pause that does not affect existing projects, even as its legality remains disputed
- Charlotte, NC, wants to extend its 150-day pause by 11 months to October 2027, and Guilford County, NC, holds an October 15 hearing on a moratorium of up to 180 days, even though it has no pending data center applications
In less than two weeks of September 2026, three local governments in two states moved against new data centers, with one passing to date: Pima County, Arizona, adopted one on September 22 and, within a week, the Goldwater Institute said it was illegal.
Guilford County, North Carolina, voted on September 17 to hold a hearing on a moratorium on September 28, and Charlotte set a hearing on extending its own pause into October 2027, a net increase of 11 months, should it pass.
The moves come amid backlash from residents as local officials scramble to keep hyperscale campuses out of cities otherwise earmarked for large buildouts because of cheap land, electricity, lax local laws, or a desirable mix of all three.
A pause with nothing to pause
Guilford County, North Carolina, has not paused anything yet despite its Board of Commissioners voting unanimously to schedule an October 15 public hearing on a temporary moratorium of up to 180 days on new data center projects. This is for two reasons: the ordinance still needs to be drafted, heard, and potentially adopted…