Stafford Township NJ total data center ban (Ord. 2026-22)
Stafford Township, NJ — Ordinance No. 2026-22: All Data Centers Prohibited Township-Wide (August 25, 2026)
Stafford Township, NJ · Stafford Twp., N.J. Ordinance No. 2026-22 (Aug. 25, 2026) (supplementing Twp. Code § 212-4.1)
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- August 25, 2026
- Applies to
- Any person or entity seeking to operate a data center anywhere in Stafford Township; township zoning and code enforcement officials.
- Enforced by
- Township of Stafford zoning and code enforcement / Township Council
Stafford Township adopted Ordinance No. 2026-22 unanimously on August 25, 2026, banning data centers everywhere in the township. The operative language is about as short as a land-use prohibition gets: 'All data centers are hereby prohibited from operating anywhere in the Township of Stafford.' The ordinance supplements Section 212-4.1 of the township code, the section headed 'Additional Prohibited Uses,' and defines data centers as facilities used to store and manage digital data. There is no zone where they are allowed and no sunset date — this is a permanent, township-wide prohibition rather than a pause. Stafford was one of three New Jersey municipalities to ban data centers the same night, alongside North Brunswick and East Brunswick, making it the 37th in the state to do so. Stafford Township is in Ocean County on the Jersey Shore, adjoining Manahawkin and the Long Beach Island causeway.
Who is protected: Stafford Township residents, through a permanent township-wide prohibition on data center operation with no permitted zone.
Legal detail
Township of Stafford, N.J. Ordinance No. 2026-22, adopted unanimously August 25, 2026. Supplements Section 212-4.1 of the Township Code ('Additional Prohibited Uses') with the provision that all data centers are prohibited from operating anywhere in the Township of Stafford. Defines data centers as facilities used to store and manage digital data. Structure to note: the prohibition is placed in the township's existing prohibited-uses section rather than implemented by removing the use from individual zone schedules, which makes it comprehensive by construction — there is no district in which the use survives. No sunset provision; permanent prohibition rather than a moratorium. Adopted the same night as North Brunswick's and East Brunswick's bans; the three were the 35th, 36th and 37th New Jersey municipalities to prohibit data centers.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Stafford Township, NJ |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Stronger |
| Enacted | August 25, 2026 |
| Citation | Stafford Twp., N.J. Ordinance No. 2026-22 (Aug. 25, 2026) (supplementing Twp. Code § 212-4.1) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Data center operation is a prohibited use township-wide |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| News report | Data Center Ban Approved In Stafford Township — Barnegat-Manahawkin Patch |
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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