Orangeburg County SC one-year data center moratorium (2026)
Orangeburg County, South Carolina — One-Year Moratorium Barring the County From Accepting or Acting On New Data Center Applications, Passed on Third Reading (September 2026)
Orangeburg County, SC · Orangeburg County, S.C. — one-year data center moratorium (first reading July 23, 2026; third and final reading September 2026)
- Status
- In effect
- Expires
- September 8, 2027
- Applies to
- Developers seeking to construct or develop data centers or other data processing facilities in Orangeburg County during the moratorium
- Enforced by
- Orangeburg County Planning and Development / Orangeburg County Council
Orangeburg County Council passed a one-year moratorium on data center construction and development on third and final reading in early September 2026. Under it the county will not accept or act on new applications for data centers or other data processing facilities. The origin is worth recording because it shows how fast these measures now move: Councilwoman Latisha Walker learned that a company was interested in building a data center off Brentwood Drive, just outside downtown Orangeburg. No property had been purchased and no project had been officially announced. The council called a special meeting on July 23, 2026 and unanimously passed first reading of a moratorium — acting on interest alone, before an application existed. Council members said the intent was to pause the project while they gathered details on how it would affect the county before any final decisions were made. South Carolina county ordinances require three readings; this entry records the completed third reading, not the July first reading. Orangeburg is one of several South Carolina counties that enacted data center moratoriums during 2026.
Who is protected: Orangeburg County residents, including residents near the Brentwood Drive area outside downtown Orangeburg; county infrastructure and utilities
Legal detail
Orangeburg County, S.C. — one-year data center moratorium ordinance. PROCEDURAL HISTORY: unanimous FIRST reading at a special-called County Council meeting on July 23, 2026; THIRD AND FINAL reading passed on a Tuesday in early September 2026. South Carolina county ordinances require three readings, so only the third reading effects adoption — an earlier pass on this dataset correctly deferred the first-reading story rather than entering it. OPERATIVE EFFECT: the county will not accept or act on new applications for data centers or other data processing facilities; the ordinance reaches construction and development of data centers in the county. TRIGGER: Councilwoman Latisha Walker learned of a company's interest in a data center site off Brentwood Drive just outside downtown Orangeburg. NO PROPERTY HAD BEEN PURCHASED AND NO PROJECT HAD BEEN ANNOUNCED — the county legislated against an expressed interest, which is the leading edge of the 2026 pattern in which jurisdictions act before an application is filed rather than after. STATED PURPOSE: to pause the prospective project while the council gathered details on county impact before final decisions. CONTEXT: multiple South Carolina counties enacted data center moratoriums during 2026 (SC Daily Gazette, 2026-06-26); Anderson County's six-month moratorium (Anderson County SC six-month data center moratorium (2026)) and Clarendon County's third reading of 2026-09-14 are contemporaneous.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Orangeburg County, SC |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | September 8, 2026 |
| Citation | Orangeburg County, S.C. — one-year data center moratorium (first reading July 23, 2026; third and final reading September 2026) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | The county will not accept or act on new applications for data centers or data processing facilities during the moratorium |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · consumer protection · government use of AI |
| News report | Orangeburg County enacts moratorium on new data centers amid public debate — WLTX |
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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