Commerce City CO 6-month data center moratorium (2026)
Commerce City, CO — City Council Adopts Six-Month Moratorium on New Data Center Applications (September 2026)
Commerce City, CO · Commerce City, Colorado — six-month data center moratorium ordinance (Sept. 21, 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- September 21, 2026
- Applies to
- Applicants for new data centers in Commerce City
- Enforced by
- City of Commerce City
Commerce City, Colorado stopped accepting new data center applications for six months. The City Council passed the moratorium ordinance 7-1 on September 21, 2026, and it took effect immediately. The ordinance cites potential significant impacts on electricity, water supply and telecommunications networks and notes the city's land development code has no specific data center standards; the city will use the time to write rules.
Who is protected: Residents of Commerce City, Colorado
Legal detail
Ordinance passed 7-1 on Mon. Sept. 21, 2026 (Westword; Denver Post 'Monday'); no vote: Rocky Teter. Effect: prevents the city from accepting new data center applications for six months; effective immediately (Denver Post). Rationale per ordinance (as quoted by Westword): potential 'significant impacts' on city infrastructure and resources (electrical usage, water supply, telecommunications); land development code lacks specific regulations. Council Member Charles Dukes: data centers currently allowed via conditional use permit. Not established: ordinance number; expiry not computed. Not to be confused with Commerce, California (Commerce CA 45-day data center urgency ordinance (2026)).
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Commerce City, CO |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | September 21, 2026 |
| Citation | Commerce City, Colorado — six-month data center moratorium ordinance (Sept. 21, 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Not stated in the located sources |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | Another Colorado town joins growing list of data center moratoriums — Westword (Sept. 23, 2026) |
Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere
- Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Dane County WI Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- Madison WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Manitowoc County WI Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Dayton OH data center moratorium (180-day, Apr 2026) · In effect
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