Charlotte Council Extends Data Center Build Pause to October 2027

Charlotte City Council voted unanimously on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, to extend the city's moratorium on new data center approvals through Oct. 18, 2027. The pause gives city planners time to study environmental effects, power consumption and water demands tied to the facilities.

The vote came as 5.5 million square feet of hyperscale data center space was already under construction near residential areas in the city.

District Four councilmember Renee Johnson told the council that these projects were approved earlier, so they would not have to meet the city's coming safety and zoning rules. "So I need to sound the alarm. We have two hyperscale developments. It's actually 5.5 million square footage of data centers that are under, currently under construction that will not be subject to these provisions," Johnson said.

City planners will spend the next 11 months reviewing distance and noise impacts from data centers. That work will determine whether existing facilities can be made to follow local noise ordinances.

The moratorium covers new data center approvals in Charlotte. Council members approved the extension in a single vote on Monday.