Savannah GA 155-day large data center moratorium (10 MW / 200K sq ft threshold)
Savannah, GA — City Council Unanimous 155-Day Large Data Center Moratorium (Aug 28, 2026)
Savannah, GA · Savannah, GA City Council unanimous 155-day data center moratorium (adopted August 28, 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Expires
- January 30, 2027
- Applies to
- Data center developers seeking permits or approvals for projects of 10 MW+ electrical capacity or 200,000+ sq ft in Savannah city limits
- Enforced by
- Savannah City Council and city planning/permitting departments
The Savannah, Georgia City Council voted unanimously on August 28, 2026 to impose a 155-day moratorium on large-scale data center developments in the city. The moratorium applies to data centers with electrical capacity of 10 megawatts or greater, or industrial buildings of 200,000 square feet or more being built or converted into data center use. The pause gives the city approximately five months to study the issue and draft a formal regulatory policy, which city officials hope to present at the second council meeting in January 2027. Savannah is the county seat of Chatham County on Georgia's Atlantic coast, and has attracted interest from technology companies including those following the OpenAI Effingham County project controversy. The moratorium was championed by Mayor Van Johnson and comes as Savannah joined roughly 40 other Georgia municipalities (and approximately 28 Georgia counties) that have imposed data center moratoriums.
Who is protected: Savannah, GA residents and local infrastructure from unrestricted large-scale data center development during the planning period
Legal detail
Savannah (GA) City Council unanimous moratorium adopted August 28, 2026. Scope: data centers with electrical capacity ≥10 MW or industrial buildings ≥200,000 sq ft being built or converted for data center use. Duration: 155 days from adoption (expires approximately January 30, 2027). Target: city council to receive proposed regulatory policy by second January 2027 meeting. Savannah is the largest city in southeastern Georgia; it is the county seat of Chatham County, adjacent to Garden City (which has its own 6-month moratorium through ~December 15, 2026). Part of the Georgia coastal/Southeast moratorium wave; Bulloch, Augusta, Camden, and DeKalb counties nearby have separate moratoriums or ordinances.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Savannah, GA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Limited |
| Enacted | August 28, 2026 |
| Citation | Savannah, GA City Council unanimous 155-day data center moratorium (adopted August 28, 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | Savannah City Council approves 155-day moratorium on large-scale data centers — WTOC (Aug 28, 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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