During the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors meeting yesterday morning, the Board unanimously approved a resolution enacting a one-year moratorium on constructing data centers in the county.
The resolution places a year-long moratorium on permitting “large-scale data centers and industrial battery storage facilities” within the jurisdiction of the Zoning Board’s authority effective immediately, and can be revoked or extended by the Board at any time over the next 12 months. Plymouth County will join several other Iowa counties in having an active data center moratorium, including Johnson, Dubuque, Shelby, Linn, Adair, and Clarke Counties.
Discussion concerning a potential moratorium was held during last week’s meeting between the Board and the Planning and Zoning Commission. Board chair Don Kass stated during that meeting that the two most important concerns he has are water consumption and the possibility of the centers quickly becoming brownfield sites, adding that the county’s zoning code “needs to be reflective of the potential.”
The moratorium is set to expire on June 16th, 2027. The Board is scheduled to next meet on Tuesday, June 23rd inside of the Plymouth County Courthouse.
