Pulaski County adopts 12-month moratorium on new data center applications

Pulaski County commissioners voted unanimously by voice vote on Jan. 20, 2026, to impose a 12‑month moratorium on acceptance of new data center applications, beginning Jan. 26, while the county and Plan Commission develop ordinance language and conduct related studies.

Unidentified Speaker 11 read the proposed moratorium language aloud to the board, saying, “a moratorium shall be imposed on the filing and acceptance of any new applications for the permitting of any data center in Pulaski County, Indiana for a period of 12 months.” The moratorium was requested by the Pulaski County Plan Commission after its Jan. 26 hearing, where the APC voted 5–0 to recommend a 12‑month pause to study impacts.

Commission staff and plan commissioners said the pause will allow time to draft amendments addressing setbacks, size tiers, lighting and noise, decommissioning plans and mitigation requirements. Unidentified Speaker 6 told the board he could share consultant contacts and mentioned consultant Brian Berry was drafting similar language for Benton County.

The board discussed prior work on battery energy storage text amendments and noted other, shorter moratoria already in place for battery storage. The moratorium ordinance language in the public reading references Pulaski County’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) and directs county regulatory authorities to study data‑center impacts on residents, first responders and natural resources.

Next steps: staff said they will coordinate with the APC, consult outside counsel or planning consultants to finalize ordinance language and return with proposed text and a public hearing. The moratorium may be shortened or extended only by subsequent board action at a public hearing. The board did not record a numerical roll‑call tally in the meeting transcript; the action was adopted by voice vote.