Waxhaw NC 12-month data center moratorium (ORD2026014)
Waxhaw, NC — Ordinance ORD2026014: 12-Month Moratorium on Data Center and Cryptocurrency Mining Development Applications (August 11, 2026)
Waxhaw, NC · Town of Waxhaw, N.C. Ordinance ORD2026014 (Aug. 11, 2026); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-107
- Status
- In effect
- Expires
- August 10, 2027
- Applies to
- Applicants for development approvals for data centers, cryptocurrency mining facilities, data storage and processing, or related telecommunications infrastructure within Waxhaw's zoning jurisdiction; town planning staff.
- Enforced by
- Town of Waxhaw Planning Department / Board of Commissioners
The Waxhaw Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted Ordinance ORD2026014 on August 11, 2026, imposing a 12-month moratorium on new data center development applications across the town's zoning jurisdiction. The scope is deliberately wide: it covers acceptance, processing and approval of development applications for data centers, cryptocurrency mining facilities, data storage and processing, and related telecommunications equipment and infrastructure used by digital data facilities — so a project cannot slip through by being labelled something other than a data center. Waxhaw acted under North Carolina General Statute § 160D-107, the provision that lets local governments pause development approvals while they study an issue and write appropriate regulations. The moratorium expires no later than August 10, 2027, but ends sooner if the Board adopts new data center regulations first or votes to terminate it early. No data center had applied for approval or even approached the town when it passed — the town describes it as precautionary rather than a response to any specific project, framed as avoiding being caught unprepared. Waxhaw is a fast-growing town in Union County, in the Charlotte metropolitan area.
Who is protected: Waxhaw residents and the surrounding Union County area, through a 12-month pause covering data centers, crypto mining and supporting telecom infrastructure while the town writes regulations.
Legal detail
Town of Waxhaw, N.C. Ordinance ORD2026014, adopted unanimously by the Board of Commissioners August 11, 2026 under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-107 (development approval moratoria). Imposes a 12-month moratorium on the acceptance, processing and approval of development applications for data centers, cryptocurrency mining facilities, data storage and processing facilities, and related telecommunications equipment and infrastructure serving digital data facilities, throughout the Town of Waxhaw's zoning jurisdiction. Enumerating crypto mining and ancillary telecom infrastructure alongside data centers closes the re-labelling route that narrower ordinances leave open. Sunset: expires no later than August 10, 2027, with two early-termination triggers — adoption of new data center regulations by the Board, or a Board vote to terminate. Posture at adoption: no pending application and no pre-application contact from any developer, so the measure is preemptive. § 160D-107 conditions North Carolina moratoria on stated study purposes and definite duration, both satisfied here.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Waxhaw, NC |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | August 11, 2026 |
| Citation | Town of Waxhaw, N.C. Ordinance ORD2026014 (Aug. 11, 2026); N.C. Gen. Stat. § 160D-107 |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Covered development applications are not accepted, processed or approved during the moratorium |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| News report | Town of Waxhaw unanimously approved 12-month moratorium on data centers — WBTV |
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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