Moratorium tracker
Data center moratoriums in California
4 moratorium actions in 2 jurisdictions in California, newest first: 3 adopted, extended or announced, 1 rejected, lifted or set aside. Each entry links to its source.
Is there a data center moratorium in California?
No statewide pause for California is in the tracker; the actions on this page are local. Locally, 2 jurisdictions adopted, extended or announced a pause: Mendocino County and Imperial County. Imperial County had its data center moratorium set aside by a court (reported Aug 28, 2026).
Statuses are as of each source’s date; check with the jurisdiction before relying on one.
- Moratorium actions
- 4
- Jurisdictions
- 2
- Adopted, extended or announced
- 3
- Rejected, lifted or set aside
- 1
Every tracked California moratorium
| Jurisdiction | Action | Length | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mendocino County California · county |
Adopted Sep 1, 2026 |
45 days until Oct 16, 2026 |
Urgency ordinance that prohibits new data centers anywhere in the county's unincorporated area. The Mendocino VoiceSource excerpt“Mendocino County supervisors voted 5-0 Tuesday to adopt an urgency ordinance barring any new data center in the unincorporated county” |
| Imperial County California · county |
Extended reported Aug 28, 2026 |
ten months and fifteen days | Temporary moratorium extended for an additional ten months and fifteen days. County of ImperialSource excerpt“the Board extended the temporary moratorium for an additional ten months and fifteen days” |
| Imperial County California · county |
Set aside by court reported Aug 28, 2026 |
— | The Imperial County Superior Court ruled that the moratorium's supporting findings did not adequately cover every applicable state-law requirement and ordered that the moratorium be set aside. County of ImperialSource excerpt“The Imperial County Superior Court recently ruled that the findings supporting the moratorium did not sufficiently address all applicable requirements under state law and directed that the moratorium be set aside.” |
| Imperial County California · county |
Adopted Jun 2026 |
45 days | Temporary moratorium on data centers in the county. County of ImperialSource excerpt“In June 2026, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors adopted a 45-day temporary moratorium” |
Dates are the date of the vote or order where the source gives one; otherwise the entry shows when it was reported. Lengths, end dates and scope appear only where the cited source states them. Expand any row for a verbatim excerpt from its source.
Tracked projects in these jurisdictions
| Project | Status | Jurisdiction and action |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial Data Center Imperial, Imperial County, CA | Paused | Imperial County: extended reported Aug 28, 2026 Imperial County: set aside by court reported Aug 28, 2026 Imperial County: adopted Jun 2026 |
Matched by county, city or the project a source names. Being inside a jurisdiction with a moratorium does not mean a project is covered; many pauses exempt applications already filed or approved, and a county pause usually leaves incorporated towns free to decide. Some entries above note an exemption their source reports; check each entry’s source for others.
Moratorium actions in California project records
| Date | Action | Project |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2026 | County says Superior Court found moratorium findings insufficient and ordered it withdrawn County of Imperial | Imperial Data Center Imperial, Imperial County, CA |
| Jul 2026 | Moratorium extended ten months and fifteen days County of Imperial | Imperial Data Center Imperial, Imperial County, CA |
| Jun 2026 | Board of Supervisors adopts 45-day data center moratorium; developer sues IID for water access County of Imperial | Imperial Data Center Imperial, Imperial County, CA |
Permanent rules in California
No California ordinance or state law written for data centers is in the rules tracker yet.
More on California
- All 2 tracked projects in California →
- Data centers in Imperial County →
- National moratorium tracker →
- Upcoming hearings →
Other states
Ohio (15) · Georgia (11) · North Carolina (11) · Michigan (8) · New York (8) · Indiana (4) · South Carolina (4) · Illinois (3) · Maryland (3) · Minnesota (3) · Texas (3) · Wisconsin (3)
California data center moratoriums: common questions
Is there a data center moratorium in California?
No statewide pause for California is in the tracker; the actions on this page are local. Locally, 2 jurisdictions adopted, extended or announced a pause: Mendocino County and Imperial County. Imperial County had its data center moratorium set aside by a court (reported Aug 28, 2026). Statuses are as of each source's date; check with the jurisdiction before relying on one.
How many California communities have paused data centers?
The tracker records 2 local governments in California that adopted, extended or announced a data center pause. The tracker lists actions confirmed in a published notice or news report, so it is a floor rather than a complete census.
Which tracked data center projects are in California jurisdictions with a moratorium?
Imperial Data Center. Sitting inside a jurisdiction with a moratorium does not mean a project is covered: many pauses exempt applications already filed or approved, and a county pause usually leaves incorporated towns free to decide.
Know of a California moratorium we’re missing? Email [email protected] with a link to the official notice or a report.
Cite this page
Last updated Sep 24, 2026. Figures may change as records are updated — include the date you retrieved them.
| APA | Data Center Census. (2026). Data center moratoriums in California. Retrieved from https://datacentercensus.com/moratoriums/california |
|---|---|
| MLA | “Data center moratoriums in California.” Data Center Census, Sep 24, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/moratoriums/california. |
| Link | https://datacentercensus.com/moratoriums/california |
Republishing a figure or table? Attribute it to Data Center Census with a link to this page. The underlying data is downloadable as JSON and CSV; the press kit has standing figures and contact details.