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Pine County adopts 6-month moratorium on countywide data centers to allow zoning study
Summary
The Pine County Board approved a six-month interim moratorium on data center development countywide to give the zoning board time to study siting, setbacks and regulation; the zoning board may form a working group and county staff may be involved.
The Pine County Board adopted a six-month interim moratorium on data center development covering townships and cities that have opted into county zoning, directing the zoning board to study data center regulations and recommended frameworks.
Staff recalled that a prior interim ordinance (Ordinance 2026-15) failed on April 7 for lack of a second and that the zoning board had since recommended renewed consideration. Supporters said a limited moratorium would allow the county to evaluate land-use, environmental, infrastructure and setback issues before approving new projects; one commissioner proposed a six-month period rather than a year to avoid the appearance of obstruction.
A motion to adopt the moratorium with a six-month effective period was made and seconded; the board adopted the motion by voice vote. Staff indicated the sample ordinance in the meeting packet had been edited to substitute a six-month effective period in section 7 and that the zoning board could form a working group involving county administration if needed.
The moratorium will apply countywide to townships and to cities that have opted into county zoning; cities that have not opted in will not be covered and would have to adopt their own moratorium if they wish to restrict development locally. The board retains the authority to lift a moratorium for projects that meet adopted criteria.
No individual project was cited for immediate approval during the meeting; the action pauses new data center submissions to provide time for policy development and public engagement.
