Wabash County IN data center moratorium (Ordinance 2026-85-08)
Wabash County, Indiana — County Council Enacts Temporary Moratorium on Data Centers in All Zoning Districts (Ordinance 2026-85-08)
Wabash County, IN · Wabash County, Ind. — Ordinance 2026-85-08, Temporary Moratorium on Data Centers (Aug. 6, 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- August 6, 2026
- Applies to
- Parties seeking to develop data centers in any zoning district within Wabash County, Indiana
- Enforced by
- Wabash County Council; county planning and zoning administration
Wabash County, Indiana enacted Ordinance 2026-85-08 on August 6, 2026, imposing a temporary moratorium on data centers across all zoning districts in the county. The moratorium was enacted following a public hearing and prevents new data center development county-wide while the county evaluates its land-use regulations for such facilities. Indiana has seen one of the most extensive local responses to data center expansion in the United States, with nearly one-third of Indiana counties adopting restrictions, moratoriums, or bans.
Who is protected: Wabash County, Indiana residents — protection from unregulated data center development while the county reviews its land-use regulations
Legal detail
Wabash County, Ind. (Wabash County Council) — Ordinance 2026-85-08 imposing a temporary moratorium on DATA CENTERS across ALL ZONING DISTRICTS; enacted at a public hearing on August 6, 2026. SOURCE: official county .gov PDF at secure.in.gov/counties/wabash/files/ordinances/2026-85-08-Ordinance-Imposing-a-Temporary-Moratorium-on-Data-Centers.pdf. SCOPE: applies to all zoning districts in Wabash County — no carve-out for any zone. INSTRUMENT: an ordinance (stronger form than a resolution). TERM LENGTH: not established from the located source URL; expires_date is NULL until the ordinance text confirms a specific end date or review trigger. INDIANA CONTEXT: Wabash County sits in north-central Indiana (Wabash County seat: Wabash). Other indexed Indiana actions include Elkhart IN data center and battery storage moratorium (2026) (Elkhart, 9-0, Aug. 27, 2026), Indianapolis data center moratorium (Council 23-1 Aug 10; MDC 6-0 Aug 19; effective) (Indianapolis through 2027), Steuben County IN six-month data center moratorium (2026), Portage IN Technology Campus district data center rules (2026), and Indiana data center local revenue share, IC 6-2.5-15-15.5 (2026) (state revenue share). VOTE: not established from located source. NOT ESTABLISHED: the specific term length (expires_date NULL), the exact vote count, any size threshold or exemptions beyond all-zoning-districts scope.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Wabash County, IN |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | August 6, 2026 |
| Citation | Wabash County, Ind. — Ordinance 2026-85-08, Temporary Moratorium on Data Centers (Aug. 6, 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Not established from located source |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · consumer protection · government use of AI |
| Agency page | Ordinance 2026-85-08: Ordinance Imposing a Temporary Moratorium on Data Centers — Wabash County, Indiana (official county .gov PDF) |
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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