Nashville/Davidson County temporary moratorium on data centers

Nashville Metro Council — Temporary Moratorium on Data Centers
Nashville-Davidson County · Metro Nashville/Davidson data-center moratorium ordinance (first reading June 10, 2026)

Status: Proposed / pending
Applies to: Developers seeking data-center permits in Davidson County.
Enforced by: Metro Nashville Department of Codes and Building Safety

Temporary moratorium on the acceptance, processing, approval and issuance of zoning, building or grading permits for data centers across Davidson County. Cites high electrical demand, backup generators, fuel storage, battery systems, substations, cooling, noise, lighting, stormwater, security fencing, and 24-hour operations. Two companion zoning bills (also introduced June 2) would define data centers in Metro code, create size-and-power categories, and set siting conditions.

Who is protected: Davidson County residents and ratepayers.

Legal detail

Ordinance temporarily pausing data center permitting in Metro Nashville/Davidson County, in effect until November 2026 or until other data-center zoning bills take effect.

Key facts

Jurisdiction	Nashville-Davidson County
Level	City / local
Citation	Metro Nashville/Davidson data-center moratorium ordinance (first reading June 10, 2026)
Penalties	Permit denial during moratorium window.
Topics	data-center siting and energy · government use of AI
News report	WSMV — Temporary moratorium on new data centers in Nashville passes first hurdle

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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