Butte-Silver Bow MT draft temporary data center moratorium
Butte-Silver Bow, MT — Draft Temporary Data Center Moratorium Under Judiciary Committee Review (On Hold; Next Review Oct. 14, 2026)
Butte-Silver Bow, MT · Butte-Silver Bow, MT, draft temporary data center moratorium (judiciary committee, Sept.–Oct. 2026)
- Status
- Proposed / pending
- Applies to
- Data center developers in Butte-Silver Bow, MT
- Enforced by
- Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners
Butte-Silver Bow's county attorney has drafted a temporary moratorium that would bar data center construction, expansion or approval while commissioners consider permanent zoning rules for hyperscale data centers. A council committee reviewed it in September but put it on hold; it is due back on Oct. 14. It would take one council vote to start a six-month pause, extendable twice by a year.
Who is protected: Butte-Silver Bow, MT residents
Legal detail
Draft ordinance (County Attorney Matt Enrooth, at the Council of Commissioners' early-September direction): prohibits data center construction, expansion or approval while permanent zoning is studied; 'hyperscale' thresholds (electric use, water use, size) intentionally left blank; per Enrooth, one approving vote puts it in effect for six months, with two optional one-year extensions (max 2.5 years). Judiciary committee review began Sept. 23, 2026; committee voted to hold it pending the Montana Supreme Court appeal (406 People First initiative; ballot question not on 2026 ballot). Next committee review Oct. 14, 2026.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Butte-Silver Bow, MT |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Citation | Butte-Silver Bow, MT, draft temporary data center moratorium (judiciary committee, Sept.–Oct. 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | With no ballot question, Butte will begin crafting potential temporary data center ban — Bozeman Daily Chronicle / Montana Standard (Oct. 2026) |
More AI rules in Butte-Silver Bow, MT
- Butte-Silver Bow data center initiative ballot litigation (2026) · Blocked / in litigation
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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