Berkeley Heights NJ data center ban (2026)
Berkeley Heights, NJ — Ordinance 2026-13, Data Centers Prohibited in All Zones
Berkeley Heights, NJ · Berkeley Heights Township, N.J. Ordinance 2026-13 (adopted 2026-07-21)
- Status
- Enacted (not yet in effect)
- Applies to
- The Township of Berkeley Heights and any applicant seeking to build or operate a data center, which is now a prohibited use in all zones.
The Township Council voted unanimously to adopt Ordinance 2026-13, which designates data centers as a prohibited use in every zoning district townwide. The council closed a public hearing that drew more than a dozen speakers before the final roll-call vote. Debate followed weeks of resident concern after rumblings of developer interest in the former Nokia property, though no specific data-center redevelopment application at that site was reported.
Who is protected: Berkeley Heights Township residents, through a townwide ban on new data center development in every zoning district.
Legal detail
Ordinance 2026-13, formally titled an ordinance designating data centers as a prohibited use in all zones within the Township, passed on a roll-call vote July 21, 2026 following the standard NJ municipal process (conference session, then introduction, then a noticed public hearing and adoption). No effective-date delay beyond standard ordinance effectiveness is reported.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Berkeley Heights, NJ |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Stronger |
| Enacted | July 21, 2026 |
| Citation | Berkeley Heights Township, N.J. Ordinance 2026-13 (adopted 2026-07-21) |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| News report | Berkeley Heights Bans Data Centers Townwide, Capping Weeks of Debate Over Nokia Site - TAPinto |
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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