Attleboro MA two-year data center moratorium (2026)
Attleboro, MA — City Council Unanimously Passes a Two-Year Moratorium on Data Centers, Lengthened From a One-Year Proposal (August 2026)
Attleboro, MA · Attleboro, Mass. — two-year data center moratorium passed unanimously August 20, 2026
- Status
- Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Expires
- August 20, 2028
- Applies to
- Data center developers in Attleboro during the moratorium
- Enforced by
- City of Attleboro
Attleboro's City Council voted unanimously in August 2026 to pause data centers for two years. Councilor Diana Holmes first proposed a one-year pause in July so the city could study whether it can supply the water and electricity a data center would need, and whether noise and power bills would suffer. The council lengthened it to two years; a push for five years did not pass. The council can extend it again later if it needs more time.
Who is protected: Attleboro residents and ratepayers
Legal detail
Attleboro, Mass. (Bristol County) — TWO-YEAR MORATORIUM ('ban', as the council calls it) ON DATA CENTERS, passed UNANIMOUSLY by the City Council on Thursday evening, reported by The Sun Chronicle on 2026-08-21 (so the vote date is 2026-08-20). ORIGIN: Councilor Diana Holmes proposed a one-year moratorium in July 2026. AMENDMENT HISTORY: Vice President Laura Dolan proposed extending to five years; the two-year version passed instead, and Councilor Brendan McIntyre said he would consult the city solicitor on the legality of a five-year term. PURPOSE: research whether the city can reasonably accommodate a data center given water use, electricity costs and noise. SCOPE NOT STATED: whether the measure is a zoning amendment and whether it bars applications, permits or construction is not given in the accessible text. expires_date is COMPUTED (two years from adoption).
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Attleboro, MA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | August 20, 2026 |
| Citation | Attleboro, Mass. — two-year data center moratorium passed unanimously August 20, 2026 |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Not stated in the located source |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| News report | Attleboro City Council approves two-year ban on data centers — The Sun Chronicle (Aug. 21, 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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