Palm Beach County FL one-year large data center moratorium (2026)
Palm Beach County, Florida — One-Year Moratorium on New Large-Scale (50 MW+) Data Centers, Adopted 6-0 on Final Reading (September 2026)
Palm Beach County, FL · Palm Beach County, Fla. — proposed one-year hyperscale AI data center moratorium (first reading August 27, 2026; second and final reading September 24, 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Applies to
- Applicants for new data centers with an anticipated peak electrical load of 50 MW or more in unincorporated Palm Beach County
- Enforced by
- Palm Beach County Planning, Zoning and Building Department / Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners
Palm Beach County commissioners voted 6-0 on September 24, 2026 to adopt a moratorium of up to one year on new applications for large data centers in unincorporated Palm Beach County, defined by an anticipated peak electrical load of 50 megawatts or more. During the pause the county will not accept, process or approve new zoning requests or related comprehensive plan amendments for those projects while staff write permanent rules on noise, water, electricity use and proximity to homes. Existing approvals, including Project Tango's earlier 2016 approval, and applications already deemed sufficient are not affected. The ordinance adds a definition of large-scale data center use to the county's Unified Land Development Code. The county's July 2026 denial of the Project Tango expansion is indexed separately as palm-beach-county-fl-project-tango-denial-2026.
Who is protected: Palm Beach County residents and ratepayers, including Arden-area residents who pressed the county over a proposed AI data center; county water supply
Legal detail
ADOPTED 6-0 on second/final reading, Thursday September 24, 2026 (Zoning Commission recommendation Aug 6; unanimous first reading Aug 27). SCOPE (CBS12/WPEC; WJNO): proposed data centers in unincorporated Palm Beach County with anticipated peak electrical load >= 50 MW; county cannot accept, process or approve new zoning requests or related comprehensive plan amendments for them. The ordinance adds a definition of large-scale data center use to the Unified Land Development Code (WFLX). EXCEPTIONS: existing approvals stand (incl. 2016 Project Tango approval for two 100,000-sq-ft buildings); applications deemed sufficient before the moratorium took effect continue under prior rules. TERM: 'one year' (WFLX) / 'up to a year' (CBS12); WJNO reports it is 'on the books' and 'in effect'; no exact effective or expiry date stated, so effective_date and expires_date are left null. Commissioners rejected a nine-member technical advisory committee and asked staff for a consultant contract (estimates cited $200,000 to $2 million; nothing approved). Rules under study per WFLX: 50 MW power cap, operator/end-user disclosure, water/noise/heat limits, a permanent task force. NOT ESTABLISHED: ordinance number.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Palm Beach County, FL |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | September 24, 2026 |
| Citation | Palm Beach County, Fla. — proposed one-year hyperscale AI data center moratorium (first reading August 27, 2026; second and final reading September 24, 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | None stated; new qualifying zoning requests and related comprehensive plan amendments are not accepted, processed or approved during the moratorium |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · consumer protection · government use of AI |
| News report | Palm Beach County commissioners give initial approval to 1-year moratorium on new hyperscale AI data centers — WFLX |
More AI rules in Palm Beach County, FL
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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