Every U.S. state that bans data centers
Data centers aren't very popular right now. So far, over a dozen states have introduced legislation to pause data center construction.
Recent surveys show a strong opposition to new data center construction in the United States, with 61% of Americans opposing it, according to a New York Times/Sienna survey. The controversy surrounding AI data centers, including concerns about AI-driven job loss and environmental issues, has contributed to this sentiment. As of September 16, 2026, there are no state bans on data centers in the entire country.
New York is the sole state with a one-year moratorium on new hyperscale data centers. However, legislation to ban or pause data center construction has been introduced in 16 states, including both liberal and conservative states. Delaware, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin have all introduced bills to either prohibit or temporarily pause data center construction.
Despite opposition from the Trump administration, New York enacted a one-year moratorium on hyperscale data center developments in June, making it the only state with such a policy.
Written by urgent.news from Mashable's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
