Kentucky local moratoria
Every local infrastructure moratorium in the inventory for Kentucky, current through August 19, 2026.
15 instruments — 12 in force, 1 pending, 2 past.
State policy is tracked separately: 8 actions (8 bills) in state_legislation.csv. These are not included in the local count above.
| Jurisdiction | Type | Enacted | Sectors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland | City | 2026-02-26 | data center | ⚪ Replaced |
| Bell County | County | 2026-07-02 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Boyle County | County | 2026-06-09 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Breckinridge County | County | 2025-12-05 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Bullitt County | County | 2026-07-21 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Cave City | City | 2026-05-21 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| City of La Grange | City | 2025-06-02 | data center | ⚪ Expired |
| Daviess County | County | 2026-05-28 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Edmonson County | County | 2026-06-08 | data center, cryptocurrency mining | 🟢 Active |
| Lexington-Fayette | Other | 2026-06-09 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Meade County Fiscal Court | County | 2026-01-13 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Mercer County Fiscal Court | County | Unverified | data center, cryptocurrency mining | 🟡 Pending |
| Nelson County | County | 2026-07-07 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Oldham County Fiscal Court | County | 2025-06-26 | data center | 🟢 Extended |
| Versailles | City | 2026-06-16 | data center | 🟢 Active |
Detailed entries
Ashland
- Type: City
- Status: ⚪ Replaced
- Date enacted: 2026-02-26 per a WSAZ headline ("Ordinance passed for data center applications"); this reads as the initial temporary moratorium, later replaced before its natural expiration by a permanent zoning ordinance given first/second readings on 2026-07-23/2026-07-24
- Normalized date:
2026-02-26(unverified) - Duration: Reported as roughly 6 months; superseded before expiration by a permanent conditional-use zoning ordinance
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ky-ashland-2026 - Legal basis: Temporary City Commission moratorium ordinance (Boyd County); ordinance number not located in sources reviewed
- What prompted it: Rubix Data Centers' proposed roughly 2-gigawatt data center campus near the former Ashland steel mill site prompted the Commission to pause new applications to study zoning ordinances
- Affected projects: Rubix Data Centers' proposed ~2 GW data center campus near the former Ashland steel mill site
- Detailed status: Replaced. A July 25, 2026 news account describes Ashland as having been "under a moratorium for the construction and operation of data centers" for "the last five-plus months," superseded when the City Commission passed permanent conditional-use zoning restrictions (I-2 heavy-industrial only, 1,500-ft residential setback, 50,000 sq ft cap, 45-ft height limit, 55dB noise limit, water-use cap) on first and second readings 2026-07-23/24, before the moratorium's own term would have lapsed. [VERIFY instrument number; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.55 in the 2026-07 refresh]
- Outcome: Temporary moratorium adopted, then superseded by a permanent conditional-use zoning ordinance
Bell County
- Type: County
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: July 2, 2026 (Fiscal Court second-reading vote, moved up from a scheduled July 14 date, per WYMT)
- Normalized date:
2026-07-02(exact) - Duration: 2 years (24 months)
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ky-bell-county-2026 - Legal basis: Bell County Fiscal Court moratorium on data center construction; instrument number not located in sources reviewed
- What prompted it: Adopted to halt a Murray Industries data center project after land clearing had begun, following resident opposition over water, noise, and road concerns raised at the June 26 first reading.
- Affected projects: Murray Industries data center project (construction/land-clearing halted per WYMT).
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31; approved without opposition on 2026-07-02, reported as halting the Murray Industries project. [VERIFY instrument number; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.6 in the 2026-07 refresh]
- Outcome: Adopted two-year moratorium on data center construction.
Boyle County
- Type: County
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: June 9, 2026 (Fiscal Court approval of Resolution 2026.06.09)
- Normalized date:
2026-06-09(exact) - Duration: 12 months
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ky-boyle-county-2026 - Legal basis: Resolution 2026.06.09 (Boyle County Fiscal Court)
- What prompted it: Pause on accepting, reviewing, processing, or approving data center applications and permits in unincorporated Boyle County while the Planning and Zoning Commission studies the issue and considers zoning ordinance updates.
- Affected projects: —
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31; may be ended early or extended by later Fiscal Court action.
- Outcome: Adopted 12-month moratorium on data center applications/permits in unincorporated Boyle County.
Breckinridge County
- Type: County
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2025-12-05
- Normalized date:
2025-12-05(exact) - Duration: 365 days
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ky-breckinridge-county-2025 - Legal basis: Ordinance 2025-1117A (AI Data Center Moratorium)
- What prompted it: Concerns about AI and data center facility impacts; need for regulatory framework
- Affected projects: Not specified in ordinance text
- Detailed status: Active through approximately December 2026
- Outcome: Pending development of permanent regulations
Bullitt County
- Type: County
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: July 21, 2026 (Fiscal Court approval, per Spectrum News 1)
- Normalized date:
2026-07-21(exact) - Duration: 12 months
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ky-bullitt-county-2026 - Legal basis: Bullitt County Fiscal Court moratorium ordinance on new data center developments; instrument number not located in sources reviewed
- What prompted it: Adopted to allow time to develop data center regulations; officials said no current project had been proposed in the county.
- Affected projects: None identified; officials said no developer had proposed a project.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31; allows earlier termination or extension by the Fiscal Court. [VERIFY instrument number; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.55 in the 2026-07 refresh]
- Outcome: Adopted 12-month moratorium on new data center developments.
Cave City
- Type: City
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-05-12 City Council rejected a proposed joint-planning-commission zoning ordinance and instead voted to pursue a moratorium; the moratorium was finalized on second reading 2026-05-21 (per WNKY and WCLU Radio)
- Normalized date:
2026-05-21(exact) - Duration: One year
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ky-cave-city-2026 - Legal basis: City council moratorium ordinance/order; ordinance number not located in sources reviewed
- What prompted it: Kentucky Industrial Alliance's May 1, 2026 submission of plans for a roughly 600-acre, 1.2 GW AI/cloud data-center campus near Mammoth Cave National Park; the council chose a pause for community input over the proposed joint zoning regulations
- Affected projects: Kentucky Industrial Alliance's proposed 1.2 GW / ~600-acre AI/cloud data center campus near Mammoth Cave National Park
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31 but under legal challenge. Kentucky Industrial Alliance filed suit around 2026-06-08 challenging the moratorium's procedure, and a second, separate suit filed around 2026-07-07 challenges a related annexation. Cave City moved to dismiss the moratorium suit (per a 2026-07-02 Bowling Green Daily News article); no ruling was located as of the research date. [VERIFY instrument number; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.6 in the 2026-07 refresh]
- Outcome: One-year moratorium adopted in lieu of proposed zoning regulations; now facing litigation
City of La Grange
- Type: City
- Status: ⚪ Expired
- Date enacted: 2025-06-02
- Normalized date:
2025-06-02(exact) - Duration: 150 days initially; extension ordinance identified but final term needs confirmation
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ky-la-grange-2025 - Legal basis: Ordinance No. 10, Series 2025; Ordinance No. 17-2025 listed as "An Ordinance Extending Moratorium"
- What prompted it: Increased data center interest in Oldham County; infrastructure, energy, land-use, environmental, and regulatory-gap concerns
- Affected projects: Project Lincoln / OC Data Center area proposals; new applications paused, filed applications exempted
- Detailed status: Ordinance 17-2025 extended the moratorium by 150 days, approved unanimously at the City Council's meeting reported November 10, 2025 (the prior moratorium had expired October 30, 2025 per the ordinance). That places the extension's own computed term at roughly early-to-mid April 2026. The City of La Grange's official ordinance index (lagrangeky.gov/ordinances, checked 2026-07-31 and current through ordinances dated late June 2026) lists 2026 ordinances 01, 02, 05, 07, and 09 through 13 -- covering code-enforcement duties, a zoning map amendment, sign regulations, an annexation, and FY2026-27 budgets -- with no ordinance addressing data centers, a further moratorium extension, or permanent data-center zoning regulations. No City Council action on data centers has been identified since Ordinance 17-2025.
- Outcome: The 150-day extension (Ordinance 17-2025) has run its course (computed term ending roughly April 2026) with no further extension or permanent replacement ordinance appearing in the city's own current ordinance index through late June 2026, indicating the moratorium has lapsed on its own terms.
Daviess County
- Type: County
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: First reading held 2026-05-14/15; Fiscal Court gave final approval 2026-05-28 (per WFIE 14 News and owensborotimes.com)
- Normalized date:
2026-05-28(exact) - Duration: One year
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ky-daviess-county-2026 - Legal basis: Fiscal Court order; order number not located in sources reviewed
- What prompted it: Resident concern and speculation over a possible Owensboro-area data center project
- Affected projects: Speculative/rumored Owensboro-area data center project; no specific developer named in coverage
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31 (one-year term would run to approximately May 2027); no rescission or extension was located. [VERIFY instrument number; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.55 in the 2026-07 refresh]
- Outcome: One-year moratorium on data center applications adopted by unanimous (4-0) Fiscal Court vote
Edmonson County
- Type: County
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: June 8, 2026 (Fiscal Court adoption; ordinance effective immediately upon passage and publication per WNKY reporting and the ordinance text)
- Normalized date:
2026-06-08(exact) - Duration: 12 months (one year)
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center, cryptocurrency mining
- Moratorium ID:
ky-edmonson-county-2026 - Legal basis: Ordinance EC26-18 (Edmonson County Fiscal Court), an ordinance imposing a temporary moratorium on data centers, AI facilities, and cryptocurrency mining operations
- What prompted it: County-wide pause adopted to allow study of infrastructure, public-safety, land-use, environmental, and quality-of-life effects of data centers, AI facilities, and cryptocurrency mining before any such facility could be permitted.
- Affected projects: Not identified in reviewed sources; ordinance is prospective and covers new data centers, AI facilities, and cryptocurrency mining operations.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31; enacted June 8, 2026 for a one-year term. Bars new permits, licenses, rezonings, approvals, construction, expansion, and operation of covered facilities; existing lawful facilities and ordinary commercial computer use are excluded.
- Outcome: Adopted; in effect through approximately 2027-06-08 absent earlier Fiscal Court action.
Lexington-Fayette
- Type: Other
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-06-09, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council unanimous resolution
- Normalized date:
2026-06-09(exact) - Duration: Through October 31, 2026 (approximately 4.5 months from adoption)
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ky-lexington-fayette-2026 - Legal basis: Urban County Council resolution; resolution number not located in sources reviewed
- What prompted it: DartPoints Operating Company's $29 million purchase (closed 2026-05-15) of the former Lexmark property at 745 W. New Circle Road for data center development
- Affected projects: DartPoints' planned data center development of the former Lexmark property, 745 W. New Circle Road
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31. The Planning Commission held a public hearing 2026-07-30 and recommended stricter permanent zoning (banning major data centers over 50,000 sq ft outside industrial-type zones, 1,000-1,500 ft setbacks, a 25 MW cap, plus noise/cooling limits); the recommendation goes to the full Council after summer recess with no final vote date set as of the research date. [VERIFY instrument number; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.6 in the 2026-07 refresh]
- Outcome: Council-adopted resolution blocking data center development plans, approvals, and zone changes through October 31, 2026 while permanent regulations are drafted
Meade County Fiscal Court
- Type: County
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-01-13
- Normalized date:
2026-01-13(exact) - Duration: 12 months / 365 days, unless terminated earlier or extended
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ky-meade-county-fiscal-court-2026 - Legal basis: Ordinance No. 2025-07
- What prompted it: County zoning ordinance and comprehensive plan did not specifically address data center development; need to review infrastructure, environmental, and land-use compatibility impacts
- Affected projects: Meade County data center / IT infrastructure applications generally; no specific paused project confirmed in captured primary text
- Detailed status: Active; expected to run until 2027-01-13 unless replaced or extended
- Outcome: Planning and Zoning Commission directed to evaluate impacts, zoning districts, performance standards, and text amendments
Mercer County Fiscal Court
- Type: County
- Status: 🟡 Pending
- Date enacted: First reading only, approved 2026-07-28; not yet finally adopted as of this research date
- Normalized date:
—(unverified) - Duration: 12 months upon passage, or until the Fiscal Court adopts permanent data center regulations, whichever occurs first
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center, cryptocurrency mining
- Moratorium ID:
ky-mercer-county-fiscal-court-undated - Legal basis: Proposed Fiscal Court ordinance (first reading approved 2026-07-28; ordinance number not captured)
- What prompted it: Concern over data center siting ahead of permanent regulations from the Joint Planning and Zoning Commission
- Affected projects: Not specified; existing complete applications are expressly exempted
- Detailed status: Pending as of 2026-07-31: Fiscal Court approved first reading on 2026-07-28; a second reading/final vote had not yet occurred as of this research date. Would not apply to any data center application already complete and accepted for filing.
- Outcome: Pending second reading and final Fiscal Court vote
Nelson County
- Type: County
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: July 7, 2026 (Fiscal Court unanimous adoption of Resolution 13-2026, effective immediately)
- Normalized date:
2026-07-07(exact) - Duration: 12 months (immediate)
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ky-nelson-county-2026 - Legal basis: Resolution 13-2026 (Nelson County Fiscal Court)
- What prompted it: Immediate pause on accepting, processing, or approving applications for data centers of any size, supporting structures, and data storage facilities, following public comment.
- Affected projects: —
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31; effective immediately upon adoption for a 12-month term.
- Outcome: Adopted; in effect through approximately 2027-07-07 absent earlier action.
Oldham County Fiscal Court
- Type: County
- Status: 🟢 Extended
- Date enacted: 2025-06-26 (per Oldham Era public notice scheduling second reading/public hearing/adoption for that date); signed-ordinance date with vote tally not separately retrieved [VERIFY: signed ordinance copy with vote tally not retrieved as of 2026-04-29]
- Normalized date:
2025-06-26(unverified) - Duration: 150 days initially; later extended until data center regulations are approved
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ky-oldham-county-fiscal-court-2025 - Legal basis: Ordinance KOC 25-910-508; extension KOC 25-910-520
- What prompted it: Increased data center siting interest; infrastructure, utility capacity, energy use, land use, and environmental sustainability concerns; zoning rules did not adequately address data centers
- Affected projects: Project Lincoln / OC Data Center proposal near La Grange; reporting describes a withdrawn proposal after intense public pushback
- Detailed status: Still in effect as of 2026-07-31. The Oldham County Planning & Zoning Commission voted unanimously on 2026-06-23 to forward revised zoning text amendments to the Fiscal Court. The Fiscal Court held a first reading of the resulting ordinance (KOC 26-920-5, 'zoning text amendments of the comprehensive zoning ordinance') at a special meeting on 2026-06-29, per the Court's own posted agenda. A closed session on pending/proposed litigation was held 2026-07-14 (subject not specified on the public agenda). A second reading of KOC 26-920-5 was calendared for the Fiscal Court's 2026-07-21 meeting per the Court's own posted agenda. As of this research date, no signed minutes confirming the outcome of that July 21 second reading had been posted publicly, so whether KOC 26-920-5 has been finally adopted -- which would likely supersede the moratorium -- remains unconfirmed.
- Outcome: After the January 2026 remand, the Planning & Zoning Commission's revised regulations reached the Fiscal Court as KOC 26-920-5, with first reading 2026-06-29 and second reading calendared 2026-07-21. Passage of second reading was not confirmed in public records as of 2026-07-31; the moratorium (KOC 25-910-508, extended by KOC 25-910-520 'until data center regulations are approved') remains the best-supported operative instrument pending that confirmation.
Versailles
- Type: City
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: June 16, 2026 (City Council adoption of Resolution 2026-8)
- Normalized date:
2026-06-16(exact) - Duration: Through December 31, 2026
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ky-versailles-2026 - Legal basis: Resolution 2026-8 (Versailles City Council)
- What prompted it: Pause on specified zone-map amendments, development plans, permits, approvals, and authorizations for data centers, to allow review and possible amendment of the city's land-use rules; applications filed before adoption are excluded.
- Affected projects: —
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31; runs through December 31, 2026 by its terms.
- Outcome: Adopted; moratorium runs through 2026-12-31.
Source: moratorium_inventory.csv · Methodology · Codebook.