Loudoun County, VA — Board of Supervisors Directs Staff to Prepare Data Center Moratorium Options (July 30, 2026)

On July 30, 2026, the Loudoun County, Virginia Board of Supervisors voted 6-1 to direct county staff to prepare options for a temporary moratorium on new data center applications. If enacted, the pause would halt all new data center applications, site plans, and substation permit approvals while the county completes its Phase 2 Zoning Ordinance Amendment. The board also rejected a proposed 780 MW Active Infrastructure Campus (approximately 3.25 million square feet) at the same meeting. County Attorney Leo Rogers cautioned that a blanket moratorium likely lacks legal standing under Virginia law, which requires each rezoning or special exception to be considered individually. Supervisor Briskman stated 'The community has basically been begging us to do something about the unchecked growth of data centers.' Staff are directed to present options by the September 15, 2026 board meeting.

Technical detail

Loudoun County BOS 6-1 vote (July 30, 2026) directs staff to develop moratorium options to pause acceptance of new data center applications, site plans, and substation permits. Context: Phase 1 ZOAM (ZOAM-2024-0001, adopted March 18, 2025) ended by-right DC approval; Phase 2 ZOAM addressing substation siting, energy, and noise standards still in draft. No moratorium has been enacted; this is a board directive for staff preparation. The county's attorney flagged Virginia law constraints: localities must consider rezonings/SPEX applications on their individual merits, potentially preventing a blanket application pause. Contemporaneous action: rejection of 780 MW Active Infrastructure Campus application at the July 30 meeting. Developer community argues moratorium would violate statutory rights; community advocates argue unchecked DC growth is harming residents. The September 15 staff report will likely offer layered options from soft pause to formal moratorium to modified Phase 2 acceleration.

Who is protected: Loudoun County, VA residents from unmanaged data center development

Who must comply: Data center developers seeking new applications or permits in Loudoun County, VA (if moratorium is enacted)

Key facts

More AI rules in Loudoun County, VA

• Loudoun County VA Data Center Standards & Locations Phase 1 · In effect
• Loudoun County VA Data Center Standards & Locations Phase 2 Project Plan · Proposed / pending
• Loudoun County Sheriff's Office ALPR General Order 401.8 · 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