Woodbury County, IA — Board of Supervisors Resolution 14064: 12-Month Data Center Moratorium (June 23, 2026)

The Woodbury County (IA) Board of Supervisors voted unanimously 5-0 on June 23, 2026 to adopt Resolution 14064, a 12-month moratorium on data center applications in unincorporated Woodbury County. The moratorium prohibits the county from accepting, processing, or approving any zoning, subdivision, site plan, conditional use permit, building permit, rezoning, or other development application for any type or class of data center in unincorporated areas of the county, for 12 months from adoption. The resolution does not affect data center projects already approved or those within incorporated city limits. The vote was triggered in part by a proposal involving approximately 900 acres of farmland near Salix that MidAmerican Energy had proposed annexing into city limits — a maneuver the moratorium could not reach once annexation occurred. Woodbury County's county seat is Sioux City.

Technical detail

Woodbury County, IA Resolution 14064 (adopted 5-0, June 23, 2026). Scope: moratorium on acceptance, processing, consideration, and approval of any zoning classification, subdivision plat, site development plan, conditional use permit, building permit, rezoning, or other development approval for any type or class of data center within unincorporated Woodbury County. Duration: 12 months from June 23, 2026 (through approximately June 23, 2027). Carve-outs: existing approved applications not affected; incorporated city boundaries excluded (relevant to Salix/MidAmerican Energy parcel). Background: MidAmerican Energy had submitted a data center campus proposal involving ~900 acres of Woodbury County farmland; the City of Salix had initiated annexation of the parcel, removing it from county jurisdiction.

Who is protected: Woodbury County, IA residents in unincorporated areas from unchecked data center development during the moratorium period

Who must comply: Data center developers seeking permits, rezonings, or approvals in unincorporated Woodbury County, IA

Key facts

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