Greensboro City Council Approves Data Center Moratorium

At tonight's meeting, Greensboro City Council voted 8-0, with one recusal, to establish a 180-day moratorium on data centers exceeding 10 megawatts of electrical power.

The moratorium temporarily pauses the acceptance, processing, and approval of development applications for data centers, data storage and processing facilities, and similar uses with an electrical power demand exceeding 10 megawatts until Sunday, February 14, 2027. After receiving public feedback, City Council chose to extend the moratorium ordinance by two months from the initially considered 120-day moratorium.

The temporary pause grants City leaders additional time to study the potential impacts of data centers, define data centers in the City's Land Development Ordinance, and continue to receive feedback from community members.

"The goal is to ensure that any future regulations are thoughtful, well-informed, and responsive to the needs of Greensboro and its residents," Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter said.

During the moratorium period, Council will hear from subject matter experts representing a range of perspectives and review best practices from other communities through a series of work sessions. The meetings will be open to the public to also listen in-person or virtually.

Details about upcoming work sessions will be posted at www.greensboro-nc.gov/DataCenters.

Existing projects that have already been permitted or are under construction are not impacted by this decision. However, future projects will be subject to new guidelines adopted by the City after the moratorium.