Hillsboro, OR — 120-Day Moratorium on New and Expanded Data Centers and Battery Storage
Hillsboro, OR · City of Hillsboro, Ore. — City Council special meeting action, 2026-07-27 (120-day moratorium)
The Hillsboro City Council voted at a special meeting Monday, July 27, 2026 to enact a 120-day moratorium blocking new or expanded data center and battery energy storage projects, running until at least November 24, 2026. The move follows concern over high electricity and water use, noise, tax incentives, and the limited number of jobs data centers create — and comes the same week local leaders, businesses, and farmers joined a separate lawsuit against the city and county over a series of enterprise-zone tax-break approvals for 17 proposed data-center projects.
Technical detail
Enacted by Hillsboro City Council vote at a special meeting July 27, 2026 (exact vote count/unanimity and ordinance/resolution number not given in available press). 120-day moratorium on acceptance, processing, and approval of new/expanded data center and battery energy storage system development, running through approximately November 24, 2026. Distinct from, but contemporaneous with, a private lawsuit (filed in Washington County Circuit Court) alleging the city and county improperly issued 25-year enterprise-zone property-tax waivers to 17 proposed data-center projects.
Who is protected: Hillsboro residents, through a pause on new or expanded data center and battery energy storage development while the city studies electricity/water use, noise, tax-incentive, and job-count impacts.
Who must comply: The City of Hillsboro, which will not accept, process, or approve new data-center or battery-storage proposals through the moratorium period; and any applicant seeking one.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Hillsboro, OR |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Status | In effect |
| Protection strength | Stronger protection |
| Effective date | 2026-07-27 |
| Enacted | 2026-07-27 |
| Citation | City of Hillsboro, Ore. — City Council special meeting action, 2026-07-27 (120-day moratorium) |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| Last verified | 2026-07-28 |
| Official source | Hillsboro pauses new data centers, issuing 120-day temporary moratorium - KATU ↗ |
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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