Cle Elum WA Data Center Moratorium (2026)
Cle Elum, WA — City Council Passes Emergency 6-Month Data Center Moratorium (July 31, 2026)
Cle Elum, WA · City of Cle Elum, Wash., emergency 6-month data center moratorium (adopted July 31, 2026; expires approx. Jan. 31, 2027)
- Status
- In effect
- Expires
- January 31, 2027
- Applies to
- Cle Elum and data center developers seeking new approvals (pre-existing development agreements may proceed under prior rules).
- Enforced by
- City of Cle Elum (planning/zoning)
The Cle Elum City Council unanimously passed an emergency 6-month data center moratorium on July 31, 2026 — three days after Blue Fern Development unveiled plans for a 100,000-square-foot, 20-megawatt data center near Interstate 90. The city council gave the city time to study how large computing facilities could affect electricity demand, water supplies, fire protection, noise, and the local economy. A complication: the Blue Fern site has a preexisting development agreement with the city, raising questions about whether the moratorium can block that project.
Who is protected: Cle Elum residents and the surrounding Kittitas County community, through a pause on new data center development while regulations are studied.
Legal detail
Cle Elum City Council emergency moratorium (unanimously adopted July 31, 2026) under Washington State's interim-ordinance authority; 6-month term (expires approx. Jan. 31, 2027). Prompted by Blue Fern Development proposal presented July 28, 2026 for 100K sq ft, 20 MW computing facility near I-90; ~$200M investment, 20-40 full-time jobs. Pre-existing development agreement for the Blue Fern site may exempt that project from moratorium review under prior rules.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Cle Elum, WA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | July 31, 2026 |
| Citation | City of Cle Elum, Wash., emergency 6-month data center moratorium (adopted July 31, 2026; expires approx. Jan. 31, 2027) |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · government use of AI |
| News report | Cle Elum passed a data center ban. One might be built there anyway — The Spokesman-Review |
More AI rules in Cle Elum, WA
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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