Gibraltar MI 12-month data center moratorium (2026)
Gibraltar, Michigan — City Council Unanimously Adopts a 12-Month Moratorium on Data Centers (March 2026)
Gibraltar, MI · City of Gibraltar, Mich., data center moratorium (adopted Mar. 9, 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Expires
- March 9, 2027
- Applies to
- Data center developers and applicants in Gibraltar
- Enforced by
- Gibraltar City Council; Planning Commission
The Gibraltar City Council voted unanimously on March 9, 2026 to adopt a 12-month moratorium on the establishment and use of data centers while the city studies the issue and writes new rules; the council can extend it by resolution and can grant waivers. Developers Raeden Acquisitions and CAL Realty, which had applied to build a data center on the former McLouth steel mill site, sued in federal court in August 2026, arguing the moratorium was adopted to defeat their pending application. In September 2026 the city said it had hired the planning firm McKenna to help draft a comprehensive data center zoning ordinance and intends to defend the lawsuit.
Who is protected: Gibraltar residents
Legal detail
City of Gibraltar, Mich. — moratorium adopted unanimously 2026-03-09 (CBS Detroit). TERM: 12 months, extendable by council resolution (CBS: 'must be terminated after 12 months unless the council adopts a resolution to extend it'; expires_date 2027-03-09 = adoption date + stated 12-month term, assumes term runs from adoption). SCOPE: prohibits establishment and use of data centers pending study and new regulations; News-Herald describes it as a moratorium on 'the development, consideration or review of data centers.' WAIVER: council may grant waivers if a project would not impact health, safety and welfare and complies with the zoning ordinance. FOLLOW-UP: city hired McKenna; draft ordinance reviewed by Planning Commission, Ordinance Steering Committee and counsel (city Facebook post, per News-Herald 2026-09-30); no adoption date set. LITIGATION: Raeden Acquisitions and CAL Realty v. City of Gibraltar, filed 2026-08-17, U.S. District Court, E.D. Mich. — indexed as Raeden v. Gibraltar MI data center moratorium challenge (2026). NOT ESTABLISHED: ordinance number; draft ordinance contents. Status 'effective': per the lawsuit (CBS), the city told Raeden in July it would not process the application until the moratorium ended, i.e. it is being applied; a formal effective date is not stated, so effective_date is null.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Gibraltar, MI |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | March 9, 2026 |
| Citation | City of Gibraltar, Mich., data center moratorium (adopted Mar. 9, 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Not stated in the located sources |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | Data center developer accuses Gibraltar city officials of unlawfully imposing 1-year moratorium — CBS Detroit |
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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