Data center legislation tracker
The rules for where — and whether — data centers get built are being rewritten in state capitols right now. This tracker follows bills on siting, moratoriums, water disclosure, noise limits and ratepayer protection, with the current status of each and a link to the official record.
Statuses verified September 2026 against the linked primary sources. Bills move fast — always confirm the latest action on the legislature's own page before citing it.
Virginia
Requires developers of projects using 100 MW or more to study noise effects on homes and schools within 500 feet, plus effects on groundwater, surface water, agriculture, parks, historic sites and forestland. The Senate version adds a requirement to site data centers in industrial zones.
Status: Passed both chambers in different forms; sent to a conference committee (Roem / Thomas / Stanley) to settle the industrial-siting clause.
Cardinal NewsVirginia
Would bar localities from granting final approval of any rezoning, special exception, special use permit, site plan or plan of development for a new data center until the earlier of all pending electric interconnection requests being fulfilled or July 1, 2028.
Status: Offered January 23, 2026; referred to the House Committee on Rules.
Virginia General Assembly (bill text)Georgia
Would bar counties and cities from issuing any permit, license or certificate authorizing construction of a new data center until March 1, 2027, with an exception for approvals issued before July 1, 2026.
Status: Filed in the 2026 session; tracked by Good Jobs First's moratorium survey.
Good Jobs FirstMaryland
Would prohibit construction of new data centers — and state or local approvals for construction — unless and until the General Assembly enacts specified legislation related to co-location with new or existing power generation.
Status: Filed in the 2026 session; tracked by Good Jobs First's moratorium survey.
Good Jobs FirstNew Jersey
Requires data center owners and operators to submit semi-annual water and energy usage reports to the Board of Public Utilities, including power usage effectiveness, renewable energy factor and waste-heat reuse.
Status: Introduced February 9, 2026 (Ruiz / Mukherji); amended and advanced by the Senate on February 24, 2026.
New Jersey Legislature (bill text)New Jersey
Establishes a statewide framework for siting, land-use approval, energy sourcing, water use and environmental impacts of large-load data center development, citing ratepayer, drinking-water and overburdened-community protections.
Status: Introduced June 18, 2026 (Moen / Pintor Marin / Singh).
New Jersey Legislature (bill text)California
Bars local governments from approving new or expanded data centers unless the developer discloses its water plans and covers the full cost of any new water pipes, treatment or storage for the facility.
Status: Cleared the Legislature August 31, 2026; awaiting action by Governor Newsom (a similar bill was vetoed in 2025).
CalMattersCalifornia
Requires data center operators to report their estimated or actual water sources and use — under penalty of perjury — when seeking and renewing a business license or permit.
Status: Passed the Senate 30–9 and delivered to Governor Newsom alongside AB 2469.
CalMattersWashington
Creates a policy framework for data centers and cryptocurrency facilities as 'emerging large energy use facilities', citing their effects on energy affordability, reliability and communities, and the difficulty the public has accessing resource-use information.
Status: Read first time January 15, 2026; referred to the Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology.
Washington State Legislature (bill text)Minnesota
Modifies preapplication evaluations of water appropriations for data centers whose consumptive use exceeds 100 million gallons per year, and exempts certain data centers from fees and from sales tax on electricity purchases.
Status: Filed March 4, 2026 in the House.
Minnesota Legislature (bill text)Governors step in — executive actions
Not every change needs a bill. Several governors have used regulatory directives and budget powers this year.
Regulatory directive on grid costs
Governor Abbott directed state regulators to ensure data centers pay for their own electric infrastructure costs, and outlined 2027 legislative priorities including repealing sales tax exemptions for data centers — stopping short of a moratorium.
MultiStateThree-year pause on the sales tax exemption
Lawmakers enacted a three-year pause on the state's data center sales tax exemption through June 2029, at the urging of Governor Hobbs, who had initially sought to eliminate the exemption entirely.
MultiStatePause on data center tax incentives
Governor Pritzker paused data center tax incentives starting July 1 and encouraged lawmakers to adopt further restrictions during the fall veto session, including residential ratepayer protections and water permitting requirements.
MultiStateUse this tracker
Find your state's bill, then act while it's live: committees hold public comment windows, and a short letter or call to your legislator carries real weight.
Ready-to-use phone scripts, email text and letter templates for your council, commissioners and state legislators are on the What can I do? page. Each impact topic — water, noise, electrical and more — explains the harm these bills try to address.