Johnson County IA 1-year data center moratorium
Johnson County, IA — Board of Supervisors 1-Year Moratorium on Data Center Permits in Unincorporated Areas (November 6, 2025)
Johnson County, IA · Johnson County, IA Board of Supervisors, one-year moratorium on data center permits in unincorporated areas (adopted November 6, 2025; expires November 8, 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Expires
- November 8, 2026
- Applies to
- Data center developers seeking rezoning, site plan approvals, or building permits in unincorporated Johnson County, IA
- Enforced by
- Johnson County Board of Supervisors; Johnson County Planning and Zoning Commission
Johnson County, Iowa's Board of Supervisors adopted a one-year moratorium on November 6, 2025 on data center rezoning, site plan approvals, and building permits in unincorporated areas. The moratorium expires November 8, 2026. It excludes Iowa City, North Liberty, and Coralville, which have their own zoning authority. The moratorium was adopted to give the county time to study data centers' impacts on natural resources and develop a permanent ordinance. County staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission have been developing proposed regulations that would allow data centers in commercial and industrial zones and as a conditional use in agricultural zones. As of September 2026, the board is expected to consider extending the moratorium in early October given the volume of outstanding policy decisions.
Who is protected: Johnson County, IA residents in unincorporated areas from unregulated data center development during the moratorium period
Legal detail
Johnson County, IA Board of Supervisors: moratorium adopted November 6, 2025 on approval of rezoning applications, site plans, and building permits for data centers in unincorporated Johnson County. Expiration: November 8, 2026 (exactly one year). Scope: unincorporated Johnson County only; excludes incorporated cities (Iowa City, North Liberty, Coralville, others) which retain independent zoning authority. Purpose: allow time to meet with Planning and Zoning Commission and county staff to study data centers' impacts on water, energy, and land resources and develop permanent ordinance. Proposed ordinance under development as of July 2026 would permit data centers by right in commercial and industrial zones and as a conditional use in agricultural zones. Board is considering extension vote in early October 2026. Johnson County is in eastern Iowa (county seat Iowa City; home to University of Iowa; population ~155,000). This is one of the first Iowa county moratoriums adopted; adopted November 2025 predates the Siouxland cluster of June 2026.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Johnson County, IA |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | November 6, 2025 |
| Citation | Johnson County, IA Board of Supervisors, one-year moratorium on data center permits in unincorporated areas (adopted November 6, 2025; expires November 8, 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Applications not accepted/processed during moratorium period |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | Johnson County imposes moratorium on data centers to protect resources and assess impacts — CBS2 Iowa |
More AI rules in Johnson County, IA
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
See something wrong or out of date? Submit a correction. Every entry must carry a verifiable source.