Levy County FL data center moratorium Ord. 2026-05 (2026)
Levy County, Florida — Ordinance 2026-05: One-Year Moratorium on Data Centers, Large-Scale Data Centers and Large Load Customer Facilities (September 8, 2026)
Levy County, FL · Levy County, Fla. Ordinance 2026-05 (adopted September 8, 2026; effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027)
- Status
- In effect
- Expires
- September 30, 2027
- Applies to
- Applicants for data centers, large-scale data centers, large load customer facilities and associated facilities in unincorporated Levy County; county departments that would accept or process those applications
- Enforced by
- Levy County Department of Planning and Zoning / Levy County Board of County Commissioners
Levy County commissioners approved Ordinance 2026-05 on September 8, 2026, temporarily halting the submission, acceptance, processing, review and approval of any application for a data center, large-scale data center, large load customer facility or associated facility. The pause takes effect October 1, 2026 — or whenever the ordinance is filed with the Florida Department of State, if that is later — and runs through September 30, 2027. During that year county staff will study the impacts of these facilities and draft permanent rules on where and how they may be built. The ordinance itself lists the concerns driving it: continuous electric demand, water and cooling systems, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, backup generators, fuel and battery storage, fire protection and telecommunications infrastructure, plus noise, vibration, lighting, heat, construction traffic and added strain on roads, utilities and emergency services. Commissioners had signaled the moratorium in late June 2026 and residents had circulated a petition for a one-year pause. Levy was one of three Florida counties moving on one-year data center moratoriums at the same time.
Who is protected: Levy County residents, ratepayers, and county road, utility and emergency-service capacity
Legal detail
Levy County, Fla. — Ordinance 2026-05, approved by the Board of County Commissioners at its September 8, 2026 meeting. OPERATIVE EFFECT: temporarily halts the submission, acceptance, processing, review and approval of applications for data centers, large-scale data centers, large load customer facilities and associated facilities. EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026, or upon filing with the Florida Department of State, whichever occurs later (Fla. Stat. ch. 125 county ordinance filing requirement). SUNSET: September 30, 2027. NOTE THE 'LARGE LOAD CUSTOMER FACILITY' TERM — the ordinance reaches beyond data centers proper to any large electrical load customer facility, which is broader than most local moratoriums in this dataset. RECITALS: continuous electric demand; water and cooling systems; wastewater and stormwater infrastructure; backup generators, fuel and battery storage; fire protection; telecommunications infrastructure; and impacts involving noise, vibration, lighting, heat, construction traffic and increased demands on roads, utilities and emergency services. PURPOSE: during the moratorium staff will study impacts and develop proposed siting and operating regulations. PROCEDURAL HISTORY: commissioners publicly sought a moratorium at the end of June 2026 following a citizen petition drive.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Levy County, FL |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | September 8, 2026 |
| Citation | Levy County, Fla. Ordinance 2026-05 (adopted September 8, 2026; effective October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | No covered application may be submitted, accepted, processed, reviewed or approved while the ordinance is in effect |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · consumer protection · government use of AI |
| News report | Levy County approves moratorium on data centers — Citrus County Chronicle |
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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