Wisconsin data center moratoriums
As of 31 Oct 2026, we count at least 46 local data center pauses in force in Wisconsin, no bans and 19 proposals, across its counties, cities and townships. At state level: checked, nothing found.
- 46 pauses in force · 0 bans · 19 proposed
- 0 pauses end within 60 days
- Checked: 72 counties, 31 cities, 61 townships · 65 on tracker
Cite this page
Source: Grounded Compute, Wisconsin moratorium tracker, 31 Oct 2026. https://groundedcompute.com/us/wisconsin/moratoriums
Every row below has its source and the date we checked it. For reporters: contact and corrections
State level · Checked, nothing found
We asked about state laws, orders and bills: checked, nothing found (31 Oct 2026).
Expiring by 30 Dec 2026
None in the next 60 days
Moratorium map · counties
- Ban: 0 counties
- Pause (active or extended): 19 counties
- Pause proposed: 6 counties
- End date passed, no update found: 0 counties
- Ended, expired or none found: 35 counties
- No government or news source found: 12 counties
- Township: ban
- Township: pause
- Township: pause proposed
- City: ban
- City: pause
- City: pause proposed
- 72 counties checked · 31 Oct 2026
- Cities on the tracker drawn as dots (11)
- Townships on the tracker (29) drawn as one square at their county's centre
- Schematic; outlines: US Census
Tracker · 65 bans, pauses and proposals
- Rows grouped under their count; each count matches the figures at the top
- 24 government confirmed · 41 news reported
- Ended pauses and no-pause checks: on the map only. We checked counties, cities and townships; nothing found is not proof that none exists
- Method
| Jurisdiction | Status | Covers | End | Permanent rules | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pauses in force (46) | |||||
| Algoma Town (Winnebago County) | Pause | Other: Covered by the county-adopted moratorium in areas under county general zoning; the county ordinance defines data centers as facilities of at least 10,000 square feet. | – | – | whby.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Anson Town (Chippewa County) | Pause | Above a size threshold: Data centers exceeding 10,000 square feet under the county moratorium. | – | – | leadertelegram.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Atlanta Town (Rusk County) | Pause | Other | – | – | ladysmithnews.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Baldwin (city, St. Croix) | Pause | All data centers | – | – | dailyreporter.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Barron County | Pause | Some zoning districts: Areas subject to Barron County comprehensive zoning; the source says certain municipalities and townships are exempt. | 1 Jan 2028 | Rules drafted | northwestnow.net News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Bayfield County | Pause | All data centers | – | – | wpr.org News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Big Bend Town (Rusk County) | Pause | Above a size threshold: Data centers with an aggregate building footprint of at least 10,000 square feet or an aggregate designed or installed electrical load of at least 1 megawatt. | 3 Jun 2027 | – | files.heygov.com Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Chippewa County | Pause | Above a size threshold: Data centers exceeding 10,000 square feet; the county says the moratorium applies in the six towns under county zoning. | – | – | chippewacountywi.gov Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Dane County | Pause | Above a size threshold: Hyperscale data centers using at least 5,000 servers and occupying at least 10,000 square feet; applies in towns subject to county zoning | – | – | danecounty.gov Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Dodge County | Pause | Other | – | – | dailydodge.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Door County | Pause | Other | 26 May 2027 | – | co.door.wi.gov Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Dovre Town (Barron County) | Pause | – | – | – | chetekalert.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Doyle Town (Barron County) | Pause | – | – | – | chetekalert.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Eagle Point Town (Chippewa County) | Pause | Above a size threshold: Data centers exceeding 10,000 square feet under the county moratorium. | – | – | leadertelegram.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Grant County | Pause | Above a size threshold: Hyperscale data centers | – | – | telegraphherald.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Green County | Pause | All data centers | – | – | greencountywi.org Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Hallie Town (Chippewa County) | Pause | Above a size threshold: Data centers exceeding 10,000 square feet under the county moratorium. | – | – | leadertelegram.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Hampden Town (Columbia County) | Pause | – | – | – | townofhampden.wi.gov Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Iowa County | Pause | – | – | – | iowacountywi.gov Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Janesville (city, Rock) | Pause | All data centers | – | – | gazettextra.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Janesville Town (Rock County) | Pause | All data centers | – | – | beloitdailynews.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Jefferson County | Pause | Some zoning districts | – | – | apps.jeffersoncountywi.gov Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| La Crosse (city, La Crosse) | Pause | Above a size threshold: Facilities involving more than 1 petabyte of data or more than 2 MW of electricity. | – | – | seehafernews.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| La Crosse County | Pause | Above a size threshold: Facilities that can store, process, retrieve, or distribute more than 1 petabyte (1,000 terabytes) of data, or consume more than 2 MW of electricity. Applies where the county has zoning authority. | – | – | lacrossecounty.org Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Lafayette Town (Chippewa County) | Pause | Above a size threshold: Data centers exceeding 10,000 square feet under the county moratorium. | – | – | leadertelegram.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Lakeland Town (Barron County) | Pause | – | – | – | chetekalert.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Madison (city, Dane) | Pause | Above a size threshold: More than 10,000 square feet, as a principal or primary use | – | Rules drafted | cityofmadison.com Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Manitowoc County | Pause | Above a size threshold: Data centers with the capability of managing more than 1 petabyte of data | – | Rules drafted | manitowoccountywi.gov Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Maple Plain Town (Barron County) | Pause | – | – | – | chetekalert.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Marathon County | Pause | Above a size threshold: Applies in towns using county zoning to data centers as a primary use, or where cumulative data-center floor area exceeds 5,000 sq ft. The county source identifies 18 covered towns: Brighton, Easton, Eau Pleine, Elderon, Frankfort, Green Valley, Guenther, Hewitt, Holton, Hull, Knowlton, Marathon, McMillan, Reid, Rib Falls, Plover, Spencer and Wien. | – | – | wausaupilotandreview.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Milwaukee (city, Milwaukee) | Pause | All data centers | – | Rules drafted | wpr.org News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Monroe County | Pause | Above a size threshold: Medium and large data centers; local reporting says commercial data centers using 500 kW or more are covered. | – | – | cdn1.creativecirclemedia.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Neenah Town (Winnebago County) | Pause | Other: Covered by the county-adopted moratorium in areas under county general zoning; the county ordinance defines data centers as facilities of at least 10,000 square feet. | – | – | whby.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Nekimi Town (Winnebago County) | Pause | Other: Covered by the county-adopted moratorium in areas under county general zoning; the county ordinance defines data centers as facilities of at least 10,000 square feet. | – | – | whby.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| New Denmark Town (Brown County) | Pause | All data centers | 8 Jun 2027 | – | townofnewdenmarkwi.gov Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Omro Town (Winnebago County) | Pause | Other: Covered by the county-adopted moratorium in areas under county general zoning; the county ordinance defines data centers as facilities of at least 10,000 square feet. | – | – | whby.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Oneida County | Pause | Some zoning districts | – | – | wxpr.org News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Polk County | Pause | Other | – | – | cms5.revize.com Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Rusk County | Pause | Other | 23 Jun 2027 | – | ladysmithnews.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Shawano County | Pause | Other | – | – | co.shawano.wi.us Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| St. Croix County | Pause | Above a size threshold: Medium- and large-scale data centers; the county report describes small-scale centers as under 500 kilowatts and large-scale centers as 10 megawatts or more. | – | – | hudsonstarobserver.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| St. Joseph Town (St. Croix County) | Pause | All data centers | – | – | cdn.townweb.com Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Turtle Town (Rock County) | Pause | Above a size threshold: More than 10,000 square feet | – | – | townofturtlewi.gov Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Wheaton Town (Chippewa County) | Pause | Above a size threshold: Data centers exceeding 10,000 square feet under the county moratorium. | – | – | leadertelegram.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Wisconsin Rapids (city, Wood) | Pause | Other | – | – | wirapids.gov Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Woodmohr Town (Chippewa County) | Pause | Above a size threshold: Data centers exceeding 10,000 square feet under the county moratorium. | – | – | leadertelegram.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Proposed (19) | |||||
| Burnett County | Pause proposed | – | – | Rules drafted | burnettcountysentinel.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Columbia County | Pause proposed | – | – | – | co.columbia.wi.us Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| De Pere (city, Brown) | Pause proposed | Above a size threshold: Data centers using more than 300,000 gallons of water per day or occupying more than 50,000 square feet | – | – | spectrumnews1.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Douglas County | Pause proposed | – | – | – | douglascountywi.gov Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Eau Claire (city, Eau Claire) | Pause proposed | All data centers | – | – | wqow.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Ellsworth (city, Pierce) | Pause proposed | All data centers | – | – | piercecountyjournal.news News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Glen Haven Town (Grant County) | Pause proposed | – | – | – | swnews4u.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Hammond (city, St. Croix) | Pause proposed | – | – | Rules drafted | hudsonstarobserver.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Hay River Town (Dunn County) | Pause proposed | All data centers | – | – | cdn.townweb.com Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Jackson County | Pause proposed | Other | – | – | co.jackson.wi.us Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Mishicot Town (Manitowoc County) | Pause proposed | – | – | – | wpr.org News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Oconto County | Pause proposed | Above a size threshold: Larger data centers; no specific threshold stated | – | – | ocontocountywi.gov Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| River Falls (city, Pierce) | Pause proposed | – | – | – | piercecountyjournal.news News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Rock Town (Rock County) | Pause proposed | All data centers | – | – | beloitdailynews.com News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Rome Town (Adams County) | Pause proposed | – | – | Rules drafted | files.heygov.com Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Springfield Town (Dane County) | Pause proposed | All data centers | – | Rules drafted | town.springfield.wi.us Government confirmed Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Two Creeks Town (Manitowoc County) | Pause proposed | – | – | – | wpr.org News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Two Rivers Town (Manitowoc County) | Pause proposed | – | – | – | wpr.org News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
| Vilas County | Pause proposed | All data centers | – | Rules drafted | wxpr.org News reported Checked 31 Oct 2026 |
– = not found in the sources we checked
Source: Grounded Compute, Wisconsin moratorium tracker, 31 Oct 2026. https://groundedcompute.com/us/wisconsin/moratoriums
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