Dane County, WI — 18-Month Moratorium on Hyperscale Data Centers

Dane County, Wisconsin (home to Madison) approved an 18-month moratorium on hyperscale data centers (defined as 5,000+ servers and 10,000+ sq ft) in the 26 unincorporated county towns subject to county zoning authority, while officials draft permanent regulations.

Technical detail

Dane County Board unanimously voted June 4, 2026; County Executive Agard signed. The 18-month moratorium on hyperscale data-center permitting covers areas under county zoning (26 towns; does not apply to villages, cities, or 6 towns with self-zoning). Threshold: at least 5,000 servers and 10,000 sq ft. Term: 18 months from June 4, 2026 (~December 4, 2027) or until permanent regulations adopted, whichever first.

Who is protected: Dane County residents and ratepayers in the 26 county-zoned unincorporated towns

Who must comply: Hyperscale data-center developers (5,000+ servers, 10,000+ sq ft) seeking zoning approvals in county-zoned areas of Dane County, WI

Key facts

Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere

• Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · 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
• Washington Township OH data center moratorium (360-day, Apr 2026) · In effect