Owen County IN 1-year data center moratorium (2026)
Owen County, IN — Commissioners Unanimously Adopt a One-Year Data Center Moratorium That Also Bars Rezonings Meant for Future Data Centers (September 2026)
Owen County, IN · Owen County, Ind. Board of Commissioners, one-year data center moratorium (Sept. 22, 2026)
- Status
- Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Applies to
- Data center developers and rezoning applicants in Owen County's jurisdiction
- Enforced by
- Owen County Board of Commissioners; Owen County Plan Commission / Building and Planning
Owen County commissioners voted unanimously on September 22, 2026 to block new data center development for one year while the Plan Commission writes permanent rules. The moratorium also stops land from being rezoned when the planned future use is a data center, a gap officials said developers used in other counties. No data center has been proposed in the county. A draft regulatory ordinance of about 13 pages is being prepared.
Who is protected: Owen County residents
Legal detail
Owen County, Ind. — one-year data center moratorium approved unanimously by the Board of Commissioners (Norman Warner, David Risk, Leonard Hobbs pictured) on Tuesday evening; Indiana Public Media's report is dated Wednesday, Sept 23, 2026, so the vote was Sept 22, 2026. SCOPE: prevents new data center development for a year; also prevents rezoning where the intended future use is a data center (Building and Planning Administrator Heather Huntington: 'This moratorium includes language that prevents the rezoning of land for the intention of developing a data center in the future'). NEXT STEPS: Plan Commission drafting a regulatory ordinance (about 13 pages; considering size or acreage limits), recommendation to commissioners for final approval. Commissioners said Spencer had approved a similar moratorium the night before and Gosport was considering one. NOT ESTABLISHED: ordinance number, exact effective and expiry dates (no expires_date computed). Single outlet.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Owen County, IN |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | September 22, 2026 |
| Citation | Owen County, Ind. Board of Commissioners, one-year data center moratorium (Sept. 22, 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Not stated in the located sources |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| News report | Owen County approves one-year moratorium on data centers — Indiana Public Media (Sept. 23, 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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