Moratorium tracker
Data center moratoriums in Kentucky
4 moratorium actions in 4 jurisdictions in Kentucky, newest first: 4 adopted, extended or announced. Each entry links to its source.
Is there a data center moratorium in Kentucky?
No statewide pause for Kentucky is in the tracker; the actions on this page are local. Locally, 4 jurisdictions adopted, extended or announced a pause: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Woodford County, Mercer County and Oldham County. By their own stated length or end date, the pause in Oldham County (150 days, Jul 2025) has run out unless extended; the tracker has no extension on record.
Statuses are as of each source’s date; check with the jurisdiction before relying on one.
- Moratorium actions
- 4
- Jurisdictions
- 4
- Adopted, extended or announced
- 4
- Rejected, lifted or set aside
- 0
Every tracked Kentucky moratorium
| Jurisdiction | Action | Length | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government Kentucky · city |
Extended Oct 8, 2026 |
about 12 months until Oct 31, 2027 |
County-wide hold on data center permits, development plans and rezonings. Adopted June 9, 2026 with an initial end date of October 31, 2026; the Urban County Council voted 11-0 on October 8, 2026 to extend it. Second readings on removing data processing centers as a principal use in several zones were set for October 22, 2026. Lexington-Fayette Urban County GovernmentSource excerpt“pauses permits, development plans, and zone changes related to data centers in Fayette County” |
| Woodford County Kentucky · county |
Adopted Sep 8, 2026 |
permanent | Fiscal Court unanimously banned the construction of data centers, landfills and large battery storage systems in the county, becoming the first Kentucky county to permanently ban data centers; no specific developer proposal was pending at the time. The county seat, Versailles, had separately adopted a temporary moratorium in July 2026. WUKY / Kentucky LanternSource excerpt“Our rolling pastures, our historic farms, our agriculture, are not just scenic views. They are the backbone of our economy.” |
| Mercer County Kentucky · county |
Adopted Aug 2026 |
one year | One-year moratorium on all applications to build new data centers in the county's unincorporated areas. Louisville Public MediaSource excerpt“The Mercer County Fiscal Court passed an ordinance by a unanimous vote that morning for a one-year moratorium on any application to construct a new data center in unincorporated areas of the county.” |
| Oldham County Kentucky · county |
Adopted Jul 2025 |
150 days | Puts a 150-day hold on any application to construct a data center in the county. Louisville Public MediaSource excerpt“pauses any application to build a data center in the county for 150 days” |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Project Lincoln Oldham County, KY | Cancelled | Oldham County: adopted Jul 2025 |
| Project Bluegrass Burgin, Mercer County, KY | Proposed | Mercer County: adopted Aug 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 Kentucky project records
| Date | Action | Project |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 25, 2026 | Planning Commission reworking regulations; moratorium remains in effect WAVE / WDRB | Project Lincoln Oldham County, KY |
| Nov 18, 2025 | Fiscal Court approves new moratorium lasting until regulations are approved The Oldham Era | Project Lincoln Oldham County, KY |
| Jul 1, 2025 | Fiscal Court passes 150-day moratorium on data centers 4-2 with no exemptions; Deputy Judge-Executive Joe Ender fired over secret recording Louisville Public Media | Project Lincoln Oldham County, KY |
Permanent rules in Kentucky
No Kentucky ordinance or state law written for data centers is in the rules tracker yet.
More on Kentucky
- All 4 tracked projects in Kentucky →
- Data centers in Mercer County →
- Data centers in Oldham County →
- National moratorium tracker →
- Upcoming hearings →
Other states
Ohio (18) · North Carolina (16) · Georgia (12) · Michigan (12) · California (9) · New York (8) · Maryland (5) · Florida (4) · Illinois (4) · Indiana (4) · Minnesota (4) · South Carolina (4) · Texas (4) · Wisconsin (4) · Missouri (3)
Kentucky data center moratoriums: common questions
Is there a data center moratorium in Kentucky?
No statewide pause for Kentucky is in the tracker; the actions on this page are local. Locally, 4 jurisdictions adopted, extended or announced a pause: Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, Woodford County, Mercer County and Oldham County. By their own stated length or end date, the pause in Oldham County (150 days, Jul 2025) has run out unless extended; the tracker has no extension on record. Statuses are as of each source's date; check with the jurisdiction before relying on one.
How many Kentucky communities have paused data centers?
The tracker records 4 local governments in Kentucky 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.
How long do data center moratoriums in Kentucky last?
Where the source states a length, Kentucky pauses run from 150 days (Oldham County) to one year (Mercer County). 2 other actions have no stated fixed length or run until a set date or condition.
Which tracked data center projects are in Kentucky jurisdictions with a moratorium?
Project Lincoln and Project Bluegrass. 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 Kentucky moratorium we’re missing? Email corrections@datacentercensus.com with a link to the official notice or a report.
Cite this page
Last updated Nov 11, 2026. Figures may change as records are updated — include the date you retrieved them.
| APA | Data Center Census. (2026). Data center moratoriums in Kentucky. Retrieved from https://datacentercensus.com/moratoriums/kentucky |
|---|---|
| MLA | “Data center moratoriums in Kentucky.” Data Center Census, Nov 11, 2026, https://datacentercensus.com/moratoriums/kentucky. |
| Link | https://datacentercensus.com/moratoriums/kentucky |
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