Council extends Charlotte data center pause until October 2027

Charlotte City Council members voted unanimously on Monday, Oct. 26 to push the city's pause on new data center applications to Oct. 18, 2027. The vote extends the moratorium by nearly a year. The previous deadline had been Nov. 5, 2026.

The council first approved a 150-day moratorium in June, effective June 8. The measure blocks the city from accepting, processing or approving applications for new data center projects inside Charlotte. Data center projects the city had already approved are not affected.

City staff said the pause gives leaders time to review current ordinances, weigh new rules and set standards for how data centers get built. Residents across the country have raised concerns about data center water use, energy use, noise, water pollution and the risk of chemical leaks. Action NC and local climate groups said earlier this year that data centers strain infrastructure and affect quality of life.

Before the June moratorium, Action NC pointed to the proposed Powerhouse Charlotte project. It would place five buildings across 122 acres. Advocates said the site could draw 300 to 400 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 300,000 homes. Neighbors near a proposed data center in east Charlotte also said the city lacks rules for possible harms.

Cristopher Scalise, who served on a city task force about data centers, urged the council to extend the pause. "I hope the council would do the right thing and go at least another year because, as we found on the task force, there is an enormous, enormous amount of work that still needs to be done," Scalise said. "We're not ready to move forward as a city on this issue."

The council's next scheduled meeting is Nov. 9, per the city calendar. The moratorium takes effect immediately and runs through Oct. 18, 2027.