Patterson CA data center moratorium extension Ord. 890 (2026)

Patterson, California — Interim Urgency Ordinance No. 890 Extending the Data Center Moratorium by 10 Months 15 Days to July 15, 2027, Over Groundwater and Grid Concerns (August 2026)
Patterson, CA · City of Patterson, Cal. Interim Urgency Ordinance No. 890 (August 2026), extending Ordinance No. 889 (July 16, 2026) to July 15, 2027

Status
In effect
Expires
July 15, 2027
Applies to
Data center developers seeking approvals in Patterson, including the proposed Rogers Road project
Enforced by
City of Patterson Community Development Department / Patterson City Council

Patterson's City Council unanimously extended its data center moratorium in August 2026, pushing the pause out to July 15, 2027. The sequence follows California's standard interim-urgency-ordinance mechanism exactly: the city first adopted Ordinance No. 889 on July 16, 2026, a 45-day emergency freeze set to lapse on August 30, and then adopted Interim Urgency Ordinance No. 890 to extend it by a further 10 months and 15 days — the maximum second step California law allows. The reason is water. Patterson is already under requirements to reduce how much groundwater it pumps in the coming years, and residents raised groundwater use and electrical grid strain in response to a proposed data center project on Rogers Road. Data centers are currently an allowed use in Patterson's industrial zones under existing rules, so without the moratorium a new application could move forward before the city writes anything better. The extension gives officials nearly another year to study effects on water, power, noise and air quality and adopt updated regulations.

Who is protected: Patterson residents and groundwater users in Stanislaus County; the city's obligation to reduce groundwater pumping; residents near the proposed Rogers Road project

Legal detail

City of Patterson, Cal. — Interim Urgency Ordinance No. 890, adopted unanimously by the City Council in August 2026, extending the city's data center moratorium to July 15, 2027. STATUTORY MECHANISM: California Government Code § 65858 permits a city to adopt an interim urgency ordinance for an initial 45 days, then extend it once by 10 months and 15 days after notice and hearing, and once more by one year. Patterson used the first two steps exactly: ORDINANCE NO. 889, adopted JULY 16, 2026, a 45-day freeze expiring August 30, 2026; ORDINANCE NO. 890 extending by 10 months 15 days to JULY 15, 2027. A further one-year extension remains legally available. BASELINE ZONING POSTURE — why the moratorium matters: data centers are currently an ALLOWED USE in Patterson's industrial areas under existing rules, so absent the interim ordinance a new application would proceed under rules the city considers inadequate. TRIGGER: a proposed data center project on Rogers Road. SUBSTANTIVE CONCERN: Patterson faces existing obligations to REDUCE ITS GROUNDWATER PUMPING in coming years — a Sustainable Groundwater Management Act posture — which makes a large new industrial water user a direct conflict with a standing legal duty rather than a general environmental worry. Additional concerns studied during the pause: power, noise and air quality. Stanislaus County, Central Valley.

Key facts

JurisdictionPatterson, CA
LevelCity / local
StrengthModerate
EnactedAugust 19, 2026
CitationCity of Patterson, Cal. Interim Urgency Ordinance No. 890 (August 2026), extending Ordinance No. 889 (July 16, 2026) to July 15, 2027
Private right of actionNo, agency enforcement only
PenaltiesNew data center applications may not proceed while the interim urgency ordinance is in effect
Topicsdata-center siting and energy · consumer protection · government use of AI
News reportPatterson extends data center moratorium through July 2027 — CBS Sacramento

Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere

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