Agawam MA 270-day data center moratorium (2026)
Agawam, MA — City Council Adopts a 270-Day Moratorium on Data Centers, Extendable by 90 Days, Sponsored by Mayor Christopher Johnson and Council President Anthony Russo (2026)
Agawam, MA · Agawam, Mass. — 270-day data center moratorium (final vote reported 2026-09-08)
- Status
- Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Expires
- June 5, 2027
- Applies to
- Data center developers seeking to build in Agawam during the moratorium
- Enforced by
- City of Agawam
Agawam, a city in Hampden County next to Springfield, has paused data centers for 270 days. The moratorium was sponsored by Mayor Christopher Johnson and City Council President Anthony Russo, passed its first reading unanimously in August 2026, and was reported approved in September. No developer is currently trying to build a data center in Agawam; the mayor said the city wanted to act first because the state is actively soliciting data centers, and the definition is written broadly enough to cover future projects. During the pause the council plans to consult experts and draft a permanent data center ordinance. The council can extend the pause by 90 days.
Who is protected: Agawam residents
Legal detail
Agawam, Mass. (Hampden County) — 270-DAY MORATORIUM ON DATA CENTERS, with a 90-DAY EXTENSION available by council vote. SPONSORS: Mayor Christopher Johnson and City Council President Anthony Russo. FIRST READING: approved unanimously (The Reminder, 2026-08-10). FINAL ADOPTION: The Reminder (2026-09-10) reports that Agawam 'approved a 270-day moratorium'; the discovery source (MassLive) reports an 11-0 vote on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 and that a separate proposal for a permanent ban on centers over 12 MW failed for lack of a second — MassLive could not be opened (HTTP 403), so the vote count, the exact date and the failed 12 MW ban are NOT independently verified. SCOPE: data centers 'of any size'; Mayor Johnson described the definition as 'sufficiently broad' to cover prospective projects. PURPOSE: time to research data centers and draft a protective ordinance. expires_date is COMPUTED as 270 days from 2026-09-08 and is presumptive. STATE CONTEXT: Massachusetts EO 658 responsible data center development (2026) conditions large data centers on local approval.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Agawam, MA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | September 8, 2026 |
| Citation | Agawam, Mass. — 270-day data center moratorium (final vote reported 2026-09-08) |
| 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 | The Reminder (Sept. 10, 2026), Northampton City Council considers data center moratorium (reports Agawam approved a 270-day moratorium); also The Reminder (Aug. 10, 2026), Agawam moves toward 270-day moratorium on data centers |
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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