Elk River, MN — one-year data center moratorium (2026)
Elk River, Minnesota (Sherburne County) — City Council UNANIMOUSLY Adopts a One-Year Moratorium on August 3, 2026 Prohibiting ALL Data Center Development Applications Including Land Use Applications and Rezoning Requests, Four Weeks After Unanimously REJECTING the Zoning Amendment That Would Have Allowed a 33 MW Data Center as a Conditional Use in Light Industrial Districts
Elk River, MN · Elk River, Minn. — one-year data center moratorium (adopted Aug. 3, 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Expires
- August 3, 2027
- Applies to
- Any applicant seeking data center development approval in Elk River, including land use applications and rezoning requests; city planning staff administering intake.
- Enforced by
- City of Elk River — City Council and planning department
Elk River, Minnesota did two separate things, four weeks apart, and only the second one is a general protection. On July 6, 2026 the City Council unanimously REJECTED a zoning amendment that would have allowed data centers as a conditional use in the city's Light Industrial (I-1 and I-2) districts — the change a developer needed to convert a vacant 62,000-square-foot former injection molding plant on Industrial Boulevard NW into a 33-megawatt data center. That vote came after weeks of packed public hearings and heavy resident opposition over noise, environmental impact and energy use. Rejecting an amendment is not adopting a protection; it leaves existing zoning in place. But at the same meeting the council directed staff to draft a moratorium, and on August 3, 2026 it unanimously adopted one: a one-year pause prohibiting ALL data center development applications, including land use applications, rezoning requests and similar proposals. During the year, staff studies what a data center ordinance should contain — where such facilities belong, what impacts to weigh, and whether future proposals should go through a Planned Unit Development review case by case rather than through broad zoning changes. The developer withdrew its application.
Who is protected: Elk River residents, for the one-year term, against data center applications of any kind while the city determines where and on what conditions such facilities should be allowed.
Legal detail
Elk River, Minn. (Sherburne County) — one-year interim moratorium adopted unanimously by the City Council August 3, 2026, prohibiting all data center development applications, including land use applications, rezoning requests and similar proposals. Antecedent action: on July 6, 2026 the Council unanimously denied a proposed zoning text amendment that would have permitted data centers as a CONDITIONAL USE in the I-1 and I-2 Light Industrial districts; the application, by Elk River Capital LLC with Swervo Development, sought to convert a vacant 62,000 sq ft former injection molding facility at 19178 Industrial Blvd. NW into a data center of approximately 33 MW in roughly 60,000 sq ft, projected at about 40 jobs. Council directed staff at that July 6 meeting to prepare the moratorium ordinance, and expected to adopt written findings supporting the denial on July 20. Study scope during the moratorium: examination of existing facilities, evaluation of potential impacts, determination of appropriate locations for data centers, and whether future proposals should be reviewed individually through a Planned Unit Development process rather than through broad zoning amendments. The developer subsequently withdrew its application.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Elk River, MN |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | August 3, 2026 |
| Citation | Elk River, Minn. — one-year data center moratorium (adopted Aug. 3, 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Not stated. An interim moratorium operates by barring applications rather than by penalty. |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | Elk River adopts one-year data center moratorium (Sherburne County) — Blandin on Broadband |
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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