Peru council adopts temporary moratorium on data-center development

Peru — The Peru Common Council voted July 6 to adopt Ordinance 8-2026, a temporary moratorium on the development of data centers within the city limits until the council adopts specific regulations.

Councilman Fischer told the meeting the moratorium was modeled on the county’s ordinance but includes an exemption for telecommunications facilities. “We have exempted them from this data center moratorium ordinance,” he said, identifying existing server-hosting facilities on Miami Street (AT&T) and Chila Avenue (Comcast) as examples. Council members said the moratorium is intended to pause applications from hyperscale data-center projects while the city develops rules.

A council member asked how long the moratorium would last; council members and staff responded that the ordinance is indefinite and will remain in effect “until a formal ordinance is adopted that will provide regulations to data center or hyperscale data center projects within the city of Peru.” A motion to adopt the ordinance was made, seconded and adopted by roll call.

The council discussed the moratorium’s scope and exemption language but did not set a deadline for completing the regulatory ordinance. Officials said the moratorium is intended as a temporary pause to allow the city time to craft standards and will be lifted once the council enacts implementing regulations.

The council recorded affirmative votes during the roll call that followed the adoption motion. The ordinance takes effect immediately as a procedural pause; any future permit requests or incentive approvals for major data-center projects would be handled under the rules the council later adopts.