Woodford County IL six-month data center moratorium (2026)
Woodford County, IL — County Board Six-Month Moratorium on Data Center Applications (August 2026)
Woodford County, IL · Woodford County, Ill. — County Board Moratorium (Aug. 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Applies to
- Applicants seeking data center approvals in Woodford County, Illinois; county zoning and permitting staff.
- Enforced by
- Woodford County (IL) Board / county zoning department
The Woodford County Board approved a six-month moratorium on data center applications in August 2026, with an option to extend it a further six months. The initial period runs through approximately February 2027, giving the county time to hold public hearings and develop a data center ordinance. District 3 board member Blake Parsons was among the original proponents of taking up data center regulation. Woodford County sits in central Illinois, north-east of Peoria, in a cluster of local governments that moved on data centers through 2026 — neighbouring Tazewell County directed its zoning department to stop accepting data center petitions in May 2026 while it drafts an ordinance, and Bloomington and Normal both adopted moratoriums in May 2026.
Who is protected: Woodford County, Illinois residents and landowners, through a six-month pause on data center applications while the county holds public hearings and drafts an ordinance.
Legal detail
Woodford County, Ill. County Board moratorium on acceptance of data center applications; six-month initial term with a six-month extension option, reported August 20-21, 2026 and running through approximately February 2027. Purpose is to allow public hearings and drafting of a county data center ordinance. IMPORTANT DISAMBIGUATION: this is Woodford County, ILLINOIS (county seat Eureka, Peoria metro) and is a different jurisdiction and a different instrument from Woodford County KY permanent data center ban (2026), which is a permanent countywide ban adopted by the Woodford County, KENTUCKY Fiscal Court on September 8, 2026. The two share a county name only. Ordinance/resolution number not reported.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Woodford County, IL |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Citation | Woodford County, Ill. — County Board Moratorium (Aug. 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Data center applications not accepted during the moratorium |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| News report | Tazewell County revisits data center ordinance; Woodford County passes moratorium — 1470 & 100.3 WMBD |
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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