Ellensburg WA 6-month emergency data center moratorium
Ellensburg, WA — City Council Unanimously Adopts a Six-Month Emergency Moratorium on Data Center Permits and Land Use Applications (Oct. 5, 2026)
Ellensburg, WA · Ellensburg, WA six-month emergency data center moratorium (Oct. 5, 2026 – Apr. 5, 2027)
- Status
- In effect
- Expires
- April 5, 2027
- Applies to
- Data center applicants in Ellensburg, WA
- Enforced by
- City of Ellensburg Community Development Department
Ellensburg, Washington stopped accepting, processing or approving building permits and land use applications for data centers for six months. The council adopted the emergency moratorium unanimously on Oct. 5, 2026; it runs through April 5, 2027 while the city writes zoning rules, since its code has no definition for data centers. Cle Elum and Kittitas County adopted similar pauses earlier in 2026.
Who is protected: Ellensburg, WA residents
Legal detail
Ellensburg (Kittitas County, WA) emergency moratorium adopted Oct. 5, 2026 (unanimous): no acceptance, processing or approval of data center building permits and land use applications; effective immediately; through April 5, 2027. Basis: current code lacks a distinct data center use (Community Development Director Dan Carlson). NOT ESTABLISHED: ordinance number; date of the follow-up public hearing.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Ellensburg, WA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | October 5, 2026 |
| Citation | Ellensburg, WA six-month emergency data center moratorium (Oct. 5, 2026 – Apr. 5, 2027) |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy |
| News report | City of Ellensburg agrees to pause new data center permits for 6 months — Nonstop Local News (Oct. 9, 2026) |
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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