Louisiana local moratoria
Every local infrastructure moratorium in the inventory for Louisiana, current through August 19, 2026.
2 instruments — 1 in force, 0 pending, 1 past.
State policy is tracked separately: 5 actions (5 bills) in state_legislation.csv. These are not included in the local count above.
| Jurisdiction | Type | Enacted | Sectors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | City | 2026-01-28 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| St. Charles Parish | Parish | Unverified | data center | ⚪ Replaced |
Detailed entries
New Orleans
- Type: City
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-01-28
- Normalized date:
2026-01-28(exact) - Duration: One year from adoption, subject to one 180-day extension under City Charter Section 3-126
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
la-new-orleans-2026 - Legal basis: City Council Motion No. M-26-63 (adopted 2026-01-28; interim zoning district + permitting hold, implemented via Zoning Docket 037/26); companion Motion No. M-26-62 (adopted the same day; directs the City Planning Commission to study and recommend permanent Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance text amendments defining and regulating data centers, implemented via Zoning Docket 036/26). Both motions were introduced by Councilmembers Morrell and Hughes (by request).
- What prompted it: Existing Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance did not include data centers as a use classification; concerns included electrical grid capacity and reliability, generator and cooling noise, air quality, development density, limited street activation, and compatibility with surrounding uses
- Affected projects: Proposed MS Solar Grid Data project near Interstate 10 and Read Boulevard in New Orleans East; no MW amount identified
- Detailed status: Active. The City Planning Commission approved Zoning Docket 037/26 (the Data Center Interim Zoning District text amendment implementing M-26-63) by a 7-0 vote at its April 28, 2026 meeting, following the staff recommendation of approval; the companion Zoning Docket 036/26 (permanent CZO text amendment implementing M-26-62) was deferred at the same meeting. The interim permitting hold under M-26-63 has been in effect since City Council adoption on 2026-01-28 and continues while the CPC's recommendation on ZD 037/26 awaits final City Council action; no evidence of final Council adoption of either text amendment was found as of the 2026-07-31 research date.
- Outcome: Pending permanent CZO recommendations on definitions, use permissions, district limits, density requirements, soundproofing, safety measures, and quality-of-life standards
St. Charles Parish
- Type: Parish
- Status: ⚪ Replaced
- Date enacted: Not enacted
- Normalized date:
—(unverified) - Duration: Proposed 12 months, amended to 8 months before final rejection
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
la-st-charles-parish-undated - Legal basis: File No. 2026-0114, proposed ordinance to enact a moratorium on permitting, consideration, approval, location, construction, and/or installation of data center facilities
- What prompted it: Council sponsors sought time to adopt parish-specific data center regulations addressing design, size, location, and operation
- Affected projects: No specific project identified in official minutes; local reporting described the measure as proactive
- Detailed status: The moratorium proposal remains rejected (council vote 5-3 against, per Herald Guide coverage dated the meeting as Monday, April 6/reported April 7, 2026). The Parish Council subsequently adopted a permanent data-center zoning ordinance at its June 1, 2026 meeting, unanimously per Herald Guide, establishing the parish's first data-center-specific zoning standards: data centers are permitted in M-1 and M-2 industrial districts, subject to a 300-foot buffer from residential districts, schools, day cares, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and parks; a 25-foot landscape buffer where adjacent to those uses; a 55 dBA noise cap at sensitive edges; and on-site primary energy generation reserved for the M-2 district. No moratorium was ever in force, but the permanent ordinance directly addresses the regulatory gap that motivated the moratorium proposal.
- Outcome: Moratorium proposal failed (5-3 against, per Herald Guide). Parish President Matthew Jewell's follow-up data-center zoning ordinance was introduced and scheduled for the May 18, 2026 council meeting, and the Parish Council unanimously adopted the resulting zoning regulations at its June 1, 2026 meeting, per Herald Guide -- making St. Charles Parish the first parish in southeast Louisiana with dedicated data-center zoning rules, addressing the same underlying siting/design/operations concerns the moratorium had been intended to pause development for.
Source: moratorium_inventory.csv · Methodology · Codebook.