Imperial County Data Center Moratorium (45-day, adopted June 16, 2026)
Imperial County, CA Urgency Interim Moratorium on Data Centers — Adopted June 16, 2026
Imperial County, CA · Imperial County, Cal., urgency interim ordinance (adopted June 16, 2026)
- Status
- Repealed / replaced
- Took effect
- June 16, 2026
- Applies to
- Data center developers seeking county-level approvals in unincorporated Imperial County
- Enforced by
- Imperial County Board of Supervisors / Planning & Development Services
Imperial County, California's Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on June 16, 2026 to pause new data center development in unincorporated areas for at least 45 days, with the option to extend for up to roughly 11 months. The board simultaneously created a new advisory committee tasked with recommending permanent zoning rules by January 2027. The action came after months of community opposition over energy and water consumption concerns from data center proposals in the desert region.
Who is protected: Imperial County residents, ratepayers, and the Imperial Valley desert ecosystem
Legal detail
Urgency interim ordinance (Cal. Gov. Code § 65858), adopted unanimously June 16, 2026 by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors; pauses data center use permits, variances, building permits, and business licenses in unincorporated Imperial County for an initial 45-day term, extendable for 10 months and 15 days. Companion resolution establishes a Data Center Advisory Committee with policy/zoning recommendations due January 2027.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Imperial County, CA |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Enacted | June 16, 2026 |
| Citation | Imperial County, Cal., urgency interim ordinance (adopted June 16, 2026) |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | Data center race officially on pause in Imperial County — inewsource.org |
More AI rules in Imperial County, CA
- Imperial County CA CEQA ruling, 330 MW data center EIR (2026) · Blocked / in litigation
- IVCM v. Imperial County — data center moratorium set aside · Blocked / in litigation
- Imperial County CA second 45-day data center moratorium · In effect
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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