Massachusetts local moratoria

Every local infrastructure moratorium in the inventory for Massachusetts, current through September 23, 2026.

15 instruments — 9 in force, 5 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.

Detailed entries

Agawam

• Type: City
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: September 8, 2026
• Normalized date: 2026-09-08 (exact)
• Duration: 270 days
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: ma-agawam-2026
• Legal basis: TOR-2026-4
• What prompted it: Statewide surge in data center proposals; council wanted time to draft a zoning ordinance
• Affected projects: None named; preemptive
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; a preliminary permanent zoning ordinance is being drafted for a fall 2026 public hearing. The same Sept. 8 meeting also banned cryptocurrency ATMs citywide (a separate, unrelated ordinance, not a moratorium).
• Outcome: Preliminary ordinance to be drafted this fall with a further public hearing

Chesterfield

• Type: Town
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: 2026-06-24, Chesterfield Special Town Meeting (voters approved; unanimous per the Daily Hampshire Gazette's July 7, 2026 roundup)
• Normalized date: 2026-06-24 (exact)
• Duration: From adoption (2026-06-24) through 2026-09-30, while the town studies siting/design standards for battery energy storage systems (BESS); a permanent BESS zoning bylaw, finalized by the Planning Board on 2026-09-15, was scheduled for a vote at a further Special Town Meeting on 2026-09-30.
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: battery storage
• Moratorium ID: ma-chesterfield-2026
• Legal basis: Chesterfield Special Town Meeting warrant article adopting a temporary moratorium on construction of battery energy storage systems (BESS); specific article/bylaw number not located in sources reviewed
• What prompted it: Town wanted time to study where BESS can be built and what rules should govern them -- public safety, fire protection, drinking water, farm/forest impacts, and rural character -- amid a wave of BESS/solar development proposals in neighboring Hilltowns (Worthington, Plainfield) ahead of new state fast-track solar-permitting rules effective 2026-10-01.
• Affected projects: None specifically named; adopted proactively amid regional BESS/solar development pressure, not in response to a pending local application.
• Detailed status: Approaching its scheduled end as of 2026-09-23. The June 24, 2026 temporary moratorium on BESS construction runs through 2026-09-30; that same evening the town has scheduled a further Special Town Meeting to vote on a permanent BESS zoning bylaw (finalized by the Planning Board on 2026-09-15), which if adopted would supersede the moratorium and would still require Attorney General approval. As of the July 7, 2026 Gazette roundup, the June 24 moratorium itself 'now awaits approval from the attorney general's office'; no confirmation that the AG approved or disapproved the temporary moratorium was located in this pass.
• Outcome: Chesterfield voters approved a temporary moratorium on large-scale standalone battery energy storage system construction at a June 24, 2026 Special Town Meeting to allow time to draft a permanent BESS zoning bylaw; that permanent bylaw was finalized by the Planning Board on 2026-09-15 for a vote at a Sept. 30, 2026 Special Town Meeting.

Everett (restriction proposal, not moratorium)

• Type: City
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: 2026-06-22 (final ordainment/second reading); initial enrollment/first-reading vote 2026-06-08.
• Normalized date: 2026-06-22 (exact)
• Duration: Not a moratorium
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: ma-everett-2026
• Legal basis: Proposed amendment to Section 37, Everett Docklands Innovation District zoning
• What prompted it: Public opposition to possible data center uses at the former ExxonMobil/Docklands site; concerns over water, electricity, noise, heat, and environmental justice
• Affected projects: No data center formally proposed; The Davis Companies has a master plan special permit for the Docklands redevelopment
• Detailed status: Adopted and still in force as of 2026-09-23. The Everett City Council enrolled the Section 37 (Docklands Innovation District) zoning amendment on 2026-06-08 and ordained (finally passed) it on 2026-06-22, converting data centers from a by-right to a restricted use with a combined footprint/power cap (the lesser of 20,000 square feet or 5 megawatts), required closed-loop cooling, funding of electric-system upgrades, backup generators, a minimum setback from housing, and a resident hiring preference. A statewide roundup (Hoodline, Aug. 26, 2026) independently confirms the Docklands cap remains in effect ("Everett caps facilities in its Docklands Innovation District at 20,000 square feet or 5 megawatts"); no repeal or further amendment was found.
• Outcome: Adopted as a standing city ordinance amendment to Section 37 (not a moratorium -- no fixed sunset); restricts, rather than bans, data center development within the Docklands Innovation District.

Gill

• Type: Town
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: 2026-05-04, Gill Annual Town Meeting (Part 1), Article 7, approved unanimously
• Normalized date: 2026-05-04 (exact)
• Duration: One-year moratorium in effect May 4, 2026 through May 3, 2027 (or earlier, if superseding zoning regulations are adopted first), covering Building-Integrated Energy Storage Systems (BESS) with an aggregate capacity of 50 kWh or more, and Data Centers.
• Current end date: 2027-05-03
• Sectors: data center, battery storage
• Moratorium ID: ma-gill-2026
• Legal basis: Gill Zoning Bylaws Section 18, Building-Integrated Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and Data Centers, adopted as Article 7 of the May 4, 2026 Annual Town Meeting warrant (Part 1)
• What prompted it: Data centers undefined in Gill zoning bylaws; unique energy and noise impacts; related BESS state-regulatory uncertainty
• Affected projects: Adopted as proposed: bars special permits, site plan approvals, building permits, zoning permits, certificates of occupancy, or other discretionary/ministerial approvals for Building-Integrated Energy Storage Systems (BESS, 50 kWh or more) or Data Centers townwide during the moratorium. No specific project is named; none was pending in Gill as of adoption.
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. Adopted unanimously as Article 7 at the May 4, 2026 Annual Town Meeting (Part 1), establishing a one-year moratorium on Building-Integrated Energy Storage Systems (BESS) of 50 kWh or more and on Data Centers, running through 2027-05-03 or earlier supersession by new zoning. Town Counsel Donna MacNicol told voters before the vote that the BESS portion was unlikely to survive Attorney General review because standalone BESS is treated as a protected/solar-adjacent use under G.L. c. 48, Section 3, and recommended splitting the article into two motions; voters instead approved the combined article as written (several Massachusetts towns, including Blandford, Worthington, and Wendell, had similar BESS moratoria disapproved by the AGO's Municipal Law Unit in 2026). No Attorney General Municipal Law Unit decision specific to this Gill bylaw was located as of 2026-09-23. The Gill Planning Board's Sept. 17, 2026 meeting agenda lists 'Review Data Centers for bylaw updates,' consistent with continuing work toward permanent regulations during the moratorium period.
• Outcome: Adopted unanimously at the May 4, 2026 Annual Town Meeting. The Planning Board is now studying BESS and Data Center regulations for consideration at a future Town Meeting (per the Sept. 17, 2026 Planning Board agenda item 'Review Data Centers for bylaw updates'); no such regulations had been adopted as of 2026-09-23.

Greenfield

• Type: City
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: 2026-09-16, Greenfield City Council, unanimous roll-call vote; resolution proposed by Precinct 7 Councilor Sarah Bolduc
• Normalized date: 2026-09-16 (exact)
• Duration: One year from adoption. If the Planning Board has not delivered zoning recommendations within that year, the City Council may extend the moratorium by an additional 180 days, during which the Council itself must draft zoning changes.
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: ma-greenfield-2026
• Legal basis: Greenfield City Council resolution establishing a one-year moratorium on data centers (specific ordinance/resolution number not stated in sources reviewed)
• What prompted it: Governor Healey's Sept. 8, 2026 executive order (No. 658) requiring local approval before state permitting of data centers; unanimous recommendations from the Planning Board (4-1) and Economic Development Committee (4-0); desire to study land-use, public-safety, infrastructure, and wildlife/natural-resource impacts of data centers before any project is proposed.
• Affected projects: None named; no data center project was pending in Greenfield as of adoption.
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. Adopted unanimously by roll-call vote on 2026-09-16, tasking the Planning Board with reviewing zoning codes and researching community, public-safety, infrastructure, and environmental/wildlife impacts of data centers; runs through approximately 2027-09-16, extendable by 180 days by Council vote if the Planning Board has not reported back in time.
• Outcome: Greenfield City Council adopted a one-year moratorium on data center development, directing the Planning Board to study zoning, infrastructure, and environmental impacts and report back before any permanent regulations are considered.

Heath (proposal, not enacted as of 2026-04-29)

• Type: Town
• Status: 🟡 Pending
• Date enacted: Not enacted at the May 9, 2026 Annual Town Meeting or since. The proposed Section 6.11 BESS/Data Center moratorium article, publicly noticed for a March 11, 2026 Planning Board hearing, was dropped before the final Annual Town Meeting warrant was signed (2026-04-14) and does not appear among the warrant's 22 articles.
• Normalized date: — (unverified)
• Duration: No moratorium has been adopted. The one-year term proposed in the March 11, 2026 public-hearing draft (new Section 6.11) never reached an Annual or Special Town Meeting vote as of 2026-09-23.
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: battery storage, data center
• Moratorium ID: ma-heath-2026
• Legal basis: Proposed Zoning Bylaw Section 6.11, submitted by Planning Board and recommended by Select Board
• What prompted it: Need to study BESS and data centers and develop zoning controls consistent with state siting and permitting requirements
• Affected projects: Proposed to bar special permits, site plan approvals, building permits, zoning permits, certificates of occupancy, and other approvals for BESS or data centers townwide
• Detailed status: Still not enacted as of 2026-09-23. The proposed Section 6.11 BESS/Data Center moratorium, noticed for a March 11, 2026 Planning Board public hearing, was withdrawn before the final May 9, 2026 Annual Town Meeting warrant was signed: the town's own signed warrant (FINAL_SIGNED_2026_ATM-ATE_WARRANT) lists only 22 articles, none addressing BESS or data centers, and Greenfield Recorder confirms voters took up 'nearly all 22 warrant articles,' with only the meeting-posting bylaw (Article 20) defeated. At its April 1, 2026 meeting, the Planning Board discussed whether to 'work on a moratorium, or go straight to creating the bylaws' via Special Town Meeting instead. By its May 6, 2026 meeting (three days before Annual Town Meeting), the Board was discussing scheduling a further public hearing on 'a moratorium for large scale battery storage systems' (data centers no longer named in that agenda item). No subsequent public-hearing notice, warrant article, or Town Meeting vote on a BESS or data-center moratorium was located through 2026-09-23; the town's website listed no Special Town Meeting scheduled as of the research date.
• Outcome: Proposal did not reach a Town Meeting vote; it was withdrawn before the final Annual Town Meeting warrant was set. The Planning Board continued discussing a possible BESS-only moratorium, or proceeding straight to permanent bylaws, as of May 2026, but no further public hearing, warrant article, or vote was found through 2026-09-23.

Leominster

• Type: City
• Status: 🟡 Pending
• Date enacted: Not yet enacted as of 2026-09-23. Two petitions (data centers; battery energy storage systems), filed by Council President Claire M. Freda, were unanimously advanced by the City Council to a public hearing held 2026-09-14; the Council then unanimously granted more time and scheduled a further hearing/vote for 2026-09-28.
• Normalized date: — (unverified)
• Duration: If adopted, would pause data center and battery storage facility construction from adoption through 2027-07-31.
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center, battery storage
• Moratorium ID: ma-leominster-undated
• Legal basis: City Council petitions for a one-year-equivalent moratorium (through July 31, 2027) on data centers and battery energy storage facilities; would also require Mayor Dean Mazzarella's approval before taking effect. Petition instrument number not confirmed in sources reviewed.
• What prompted it: Community and Council concern over AI data centers' potential environmental and buffer-zone impacts, and over battery storage facility fire risk; no data center or large-scale battery storage project is currently proposed in Leominster. Part of a regional wave of central Massachusetts data-center/BESS moratoria (Fitchburg, Athol).
• Affected projects: None; city officials confirmed no data center or large-scale battery storage project is currently proposed or approved in Leominster.
• Detailed status: Pending as of 2026-09-23. The City Council held a public hearing on the combined data-center/BESS moratorium petitions on 2026-09-14; the Planning Board had not yet delivered its recommendation, and the Council unanimously granted more time, scheduling a further hearing/vote for 2026-09-28 (five days after this research pass). Mayor Mazzarella has not indicated support and has publicly cautioned against rushing the petitions. [VERIFY instrument number; adoption date; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.65 in the 2026-09 refresh]
• Outcome: Proposed moratorium (through July 31, 2027) on data centers and battery energy storage facilities remains under Council review; a further hearing/vote is scheduled for 2026-09-28 after the Sept. 14, 2026 public hearing was postponed pending Planning Board input.

Lowell

• Type: City
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: 2026-03-10
• Normalized date: 2026-03-10 (exact)
• Duration: 360 days; one optional extension up to 180 days by two-thirds City Council vote
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: ma-lowell-2026
• Legal basis: Ordinance amending Chapter 290, Article II, Article VII Section 7.11, and Article XII of the Lowell Zoning Code
• What prompted it: Zoning code gap, Markley facility expansion concerns, neighborhood air/noise impacts, diesel generators, water and power capacity, and environmental justice concerns
• Affected projects: New data center construction and development citywide; new expansion of existing data centers. The Markley Group Lowell facility (352,000 sq ft) is the central local controversy; per the Inflect data-center listing platform (cited by InsideLowell), the facility's current capacity is approximately 40 MW, with a stated build-out plan to 50 MW, consistent with Markley's own 2016 public statements about the site's planned 50MW build-out. Markley separately sued the city over the moratorium and reached an agreement allowing it to proceed with expansion plans that predate the moratorium (per WGBH, Aug. 11, 2026); in an unrelated environmental-justice lawsuit over MassDEP air permits, a Superior Court judge paused installation of four new diesel backup generators at the facility on 2026-08-10, litigation that remained pending as of 2026-09-23.
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. The 360-day moratorium (enacted 2026-03-10) remains in force. Markley Group sued the city over the moratorium and reached a settlement permitting it to proceed with expansion plans that predate the moratorium, so the pause has not halted all Markley-related construction activity at the site. Separately, in an unrelated case (a resident-led environmental-justice challenge to MassDEP's air permits for the facility), a Superior Court judge paused Markley's installation of four new diesel backup generators on 2026-08-10; that litigation was ongoing as of 2026-09-23.
• Outcome: City staff must study impacts and draft zoning recommendations; staff must also consider enforcement policies and a community benefit agreement requirement.

Malden

• Type: City
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: City Council vote reported 2026-05-05 (unanimous, per Neighborhood View); a second outlet describes a June 16, 2026 effective date, consistent with a two-reading enrollment/ordainment process, but that detail was not independently verified.
• Normalized date: 2026-05-05 (range)
• Duration: One year
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: ma-malden-2026
• Legal basis: Malden City Council ordinance amendment (a second, unverified report cites zoning code sections 12.32.050, 12.12.030, 12.32.060, and 12.32.030)
• What prompted it: The city had no existing ordinance addressing data centers; the Council acted preemptively, before any specific project proposal, to give its Economic Development Committee time to study infrastructure, environmental, and health impacts.
• Affected projects: None named; general/preemptive moratorium.
• Detailed status: Adopted; one-year pause on data centers to allow Economic Development Committee study.
• Outcome: One-year moratorium on data centers adopted unanimously by the City Council.

Northampton

• Type: City
• Status: 🟡 Pending
• Date enacted: —
• Normalized date: — (unverified)
• Duration: One year, with an option for a 180-day extension
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: ma-northampton-undated
• Legal basis: Proposed ordinance amendment (City Council President Rachel Maiore)
• What prompted it: Growing statewide data-center controversy; no active proposal but council wants to get ahead of one
• Affected projects: None; preemptive
• Detailed status: Pending as of 2026-09-23; joint public hearing before the Planning Board and Legislative Matters Committee scheduled for Sept. 24, 2026 (one day after this research date). Not yet enacted. A 10-member data center study committee was formed Sept. 17, 2026 in parallel. [VERIFY instrument number; adoption date; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.6 in the 2026-09 refresh]
• Outcome: Not yet decided

Plymouth

• Type: Town
• Status: 🟡 Pending
• Date enacted: —
• Normalized date: — (unverified)
• Duration: One year (October 17, 2026 - October 16, 2027) if approved at Fall Town Meeting
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: ma-plymouth-undated
• Legal basis: Fall Annual Town Meeting Article 16 (Zoning Bylaw Amendment - Data Centers Zoning)
• What prompted it: Statewide data-center controversy; no active application but board wants time to set up safeguards
• Affected projects: None; preemptive, excludes ancillary data storage tied to another principal use (e.g., hospitals)
• Detailed status: Pending as of 2026-09-23; Select Board voted unanimously Aug. 25, 2026 to recommend the article; Town Meeting vote scheduled Oct. 17, 2026, which has not yet occurred. [VERIFY instrument number; adoption date; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.65 in the 2026-09 refresh]
• Outcome: Awaiting Fall Town Meeting vote

Shutesbury

• Type: Town
• Status: ⚪ Expired
• Date enacted: 2025-09-30
• Normalized date: 2025-09-30 (exact)
• Duration: Until 2026-06-30
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: ma-shutesbury-2025
• Legal basis: Special Town Meeting Article 10; Zoning Bylaw Section 8.13, with amendments to Section 3.1-1 Use Table and Section 13.2 definitions
• What prompted it: Planning Board need to study an undefined land use; concerns about water consumption, discharge, energy demand, noise, lighting, security, backup diesel generation, and possible well impacts
• Affected projects: New applications for or building of data centers townwide; no named project or MW identified
• Detailed status: The temporary moratorium (Special Town Meeting Article 10, effective through 2026-06-30) expired on schedule. No article proposing a permanent Section 8.13 data center zoning bylaw appeared anywhere on the 33-article warrant for the 2026 Annual Town Meeting (held 2026-05-09), and the town's official Zoning Bylaw Maps and Amendments page (checked 2026-07-31) still lists only the September 2025 temporary moratorium among recent amendments, with no 2026 entry. Data centers are therefore currently unregulated by any dedicated Shutesbury zoning provision.
• Outcome: Moratorium adopted with data centers listed as prohibited in all four zoning districts (RR, FC, TC, LW); Planning Board anticipated a full bylaw amendment for spring 2026 Town Meeting.

Southbridge

• Type: Town
• Status: 🟡 Pending
• Date enacted: —
• Normalized date: — (unverified)
• Duration: Up to 12 months, with up to two additional 180-day extensions possible
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: ma-southbridge-undated
• Legal basis: Proposed zoning amendment (Data Center / BESS moratorium), referred by Town Council 9-0 on Aug. 10, 2026
• What prompted it: AO campus data-center speculation; concerns over water/aquifer, grid capacity, noise, emergency response
• Affected projects: None; no data-center application filed, though the AO campus site has been publicly discussed as a possible location
• Detailed status: Pending as of 2026-09-23; joint Town Council/Planning Board public hearing held Sept. 16, 2026, but the Council had not taken a final vote. Under the town's process, the Council must read the ordinance at three meetings before final adoption. [VERIFY instrument number; adoption date; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.65 in the 2026-09 refresh]
• Outcome: Awaiting Planning Board recommendation and Council readings

Westfield

• Type: City
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: City Council gave Ordinance No. 1805 its second reading and final passage on 2026-07-06; mayoral approval recorded 2026-07-07.
• Normalized date: 2026-07-06 (exact)
• Duration: Prohibits the permitting, construction, expansion, conversion, establishment, or operation of data centers through 2027-07-06; bars acceptance or approval of applications; stays pending applications; directs the Natural Resources Committee to review environmental, public health, and infrastructure impacts.
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: ma-westfield-2026
• Legal basis: Ordinance No. 1805, City of Westfield
• What prompted it: Study of environmental, public health, and infrastructure impacts of data center development; public comments raised water, environmental, and cost concerns.
• Affected projects: —
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31; one-year moratorium effective through 2027-07-06.
• Outcome: —

Westfield

• Type: City
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: February 5, 2026 (first reading, unanimous); second reading Feb. 19, 2026
• Normalized date: 2026-02-05 (exact)
• Duration: Interim restriction through September 30, 2026
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: battery storage
• Moratorium ID: ma-westfield-2026-2
• Legal basis: Municipal Code Section 5-31, Interim Restriction for Battery Energy Storage Systems
• What prompted it: State model BESS ordinance and Oct. 1, 2026 state deadline for local consolidated-permit ordinances; no local BESS regulations existed
• Affected projects: None named; preemptive, tied to the state's Oct. 1, 2026 BESS permitting deadline
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; set to expire Sept. 30, 2026 (about one week after this research date) unless extended or superseded by the separate permanent BESS zoning amendment still in committee.
• Outcome: City developing local BESS zoning ordinance (setbacks, siting) in parallel; a separate permanent zoning amendment (buffer zones, WRPD prohibition) remained in committee as of March 2026

Source: moratorium_inventory.csv · Methodology · Codebook.

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