Spokane County, WA — County Commissioners Propose 9-Month Moratorium on Large-Load Data Centers in Unincorporated County
Spokane County, WA · Spokane County, WA, proposed county-commission moratorium on large-load data centers (announced July 20, 2026; formal vote pending)
Democratic Spokane County Commissioners Chris Jordan and Amber Waldref announced in July 2026 that they plan to propose a 9-month moratorium on new data centers with electricity demands of 1 megawatt or more in unincorporated Spokane County, Washington. The pause would give the county time to develop permanent zoning and land-use regulations for data centers. Republican Commissioner Josh Kerns opposed the measure. The county is in the greater Spokane metro area in eastern Washington State. Note: This is a county-level proposal separate from the City of Spokane's Ordinance C36887, which established data center regulations within city limits.
Technical detail
Proposed 9-month moratorium on acceptance and processing of land-use applications and building permits for data centers with electricity demand ≥ 1 MW in unincorporated Spokane County, WA. Announced July 20, 2026 by Commissioners Jordan (D) and Waldref (D); Commissioner Kerns (R) opposed. No formal vote scheduled as of August 10, 2026. Distinct from City of Spokane Ordinance C36887 (city-limits data center regulations, separately indexed as spokane-wa-dc-moratorium-proposed). Located in eastern Washington State; the Spokane metro area has been an active site of data center development interest.
Who is protected: Unincorporated Spokane County, WA residents from unrestricted data center development during moratorium period (if enacted)
Who must comply: Data center developers (≥1 MW load) seeking permits in unincorporated Spokane County, WA
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Spokane County, WA |
|---|---|
| Level | County |
| Status | Proposed / pending |
| Protection strength | Proposed or pending |
| Citation | Spokane County, WA, proposed county-commission moratorium on large-load data centers (announced July 20, 2026; formal vote pending) |
| Enforced by | Spokane County Planning and Building Department (if enacted) |
| Private right of action | No — agency enforcement only |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| Last verified | 2026-08-10 |
| Official source | Democrats on Spokane County Commission to pitch moratorium on large data centers — The Spokesman-Review ↗ |
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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