Oklahoma local moratoria
Every local infrastructure moratorium in the inventory for Oklahoma, current through September 23, 2026.
10 instruments — 10 in force, 0 pending, 0 past.
State policy is tracked separately: 12 actions (12 bills) in state_legislation.csv. These are not included in the local count above.
| Jurisdiction | Type | Enacted | Sectors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broken Arrow | City | 2026-06-15 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Choctaw | City | 2026-07-21 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Edmond | City | 2026-06-08 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Luther | Town | 2026-06-17 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Norman | City | 2026-06-23 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Oklahoma City | City | 2026-04-21 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Pawhuska | City | 2026-04-14 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Seminole Nation of Oklahoma | Tribal | 2026-03-07 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Shawnee | City | 2026-08-17 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Tulsa | City | 2026-03-25 | data center | 🟢 Active |
Detailed entries
Broken Arrow
- Type: City
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-06-15, City Council enactment with emergency clause
- Normalized date:
2026-06-15(exact) - Duration: Until the earlier of December 31, 2026, or adoption of permanent regulations, with a possible extension totaling no more than six additional months
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ok-broken-arrow-2026 - Legal basis: Ordinance No. 3929 (City of Broken Arrow), pausing new rezonings, special/conditional use permits, site plans, building permits, certificates of occupancy, and other approvals for data center uses; exempts vested projects, accessory uses, and facilities of 5 MW or less
- What prompted it: Development of permanent data center regulations
- Affected projects: —
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; still running through at least Dec. 31, 2026 with no change adopted. City Manager Michael Spurgeon gave a public update at the Aug. 18, 2026 City Council meeting confirming the moratorium 'will remain in effect until at least Dec. 31, 2026' and announcing a new Data Center Study Committee (led by Deputy City Attorney James Walters) to draft the eventual ordinance. As of late August 2026, no data center proposal was imminent (an earlier 51-acre site's letter of intent expired unrenewed), and Spurgeon said he may seek Council approval to extend the moratorium another six months, but no extension had been adopted as of 2026-09-23.
- Outcome: —
Choctaw
- Type: City
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-07-21, Choctaw City Council, 6-1 vote (Councilman Cody Brewer dissenting on principle, not disagreement); accompanying emergency clause passed 6-1 (Councilman Brent Pendergraft dissenting)
- Normalized date:
2026-07-21(exact) - Duration: 12 months from the July 21, 2026 adoption date
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ok-choctaw-2026 - Legal basis: Choctaw City Council ordinance/resolution (specific instrument number not located in captured coverage), imposing a 12-month moratorium on accepting data center applications within city limits, adopted with an accompanying emergency clause making it effective immediately
- What prompted it: Preemptive pause; no data center had submitted plans to build in Choctaw at adoption. Council discussed drafting an outright ban on data centers but opted for a one-year pause to evaluate possible further restrictions instead.
- Affected projects: None; no data centers had submitted plans to build in Choctaw as of adoption.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. 12-month moratorium adopted July 21, 2026, running through approximately July 21, 2027, while the city studies future data-center regulation; no developer had submitted plans in Choctaw at adoption or as of this pass.
- Outcome: Choctaw City Council approved a 12-month moratorium on data centers within city limits after discussing, and rejecting in favor of the pause, a proposed outright ban.
Edmond
- Type: City
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-06-08 (Monday), Edmond City Council, unanimous vote, adopted with an emergency clause making it effective immediately.
- Normalized date:
2026-06-08(exact) - Duration: Runs through 2026-12-31; staff to report back to council at the 2, 3, and 5-month marks.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ok-edmond-2026 - Legal basis: Ordinance No. 4091 (City of Edmond), adopted 6/8/26 by a 5-0 Council vote with an emergency clause; declares a moratorium until December 31, 2026 on rezoning requests and building permits for data centers, defined as AI-computing facilities contracting for 75 MW or more of electric load per facility or in aggregate behind a single point of interconnection.
- What prompted it: No pending data center proposal in the city at time of adoption; preemptive pause to allow study of water, electricity, and infrastructure impacts and to draft permanent zoning rules.
- Affected projects: None pending at time of adoption.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; runs through 2026-12-31 or the effective date of a duly-adopted data-center regulation, whichever is earlier, per Section 3 of Ordinance No. 4091. No amendment, extension, or repeal was found in city records or news coverage through 2026-09-23.
- Outcome: City Council unanimously adopted an immediate moratorium on data center applications, rezoning requests, and permits within city limits, through the end of 2026.
Luther
- Type: Town
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-06-17, Board of Trustees enactment (emergency), meeting relocated outdoors to accommodate attendance
- Normalized date:
2026-06-17(exact) - Duration: New data center rezoning and Specific Use Permit applications paused through December 31, 2026, per the published ordinance text
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ok-luther-2026 - Legal basis: Town of Luther emergency moratorium ordinance (published via journalrecord.com public notice; specific ordinance number not confirmed in the text reviewed), pausing new data center rezoning and Specific Use Permit applications
- What prompted it: Opposition to the pending BLE Landholdings data center proposal
- Affected projects: Pending BLE Landholdings data center proposal
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. The June 17, 2026 ordinance originally paused new applications through Dec. 31, 2026 and separately paused approvals of the then-pending Beltline Energy application only through Sept. 1, 2026; at the same June 17 meeting the Board of Trustees amended the ordinance to extend the pause on approving existing/pending applications (including Beltline Energy) to match the Dec. 31, 2026 date, so both tracks now run through Dec. 31, 2026. No further extension, repeal, or replacement was found as of 2026-09-23; a Sept. 8, 2026 Luther Register News article still describes it as 'the six-month moratorium the board approved.'
- Outcome: —
Norman
- Type: City
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-06-23, City Council unanimous enactment, emergency provision effective upon adoption and publication
- Normalized date:
2026-06-23(exact) - Duration: Through June 9, 2027, or earlier adoption of data center zoning regulations
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ok-norman-2026 - Legal basis: Ordinance No. O-2526-70 (City of Norman); applies to new applications for data center facilities using evaporative cooling projected to consume more than 250,000 gallons of potable water per day; applications filed before the ordinance's effective date are outside its stated scope
- What prompted it: Water consumption concerns from evaporative-cooling data centers
- Affected projects: —
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; runs through June 9, 2027 or the effective date of new data-center zoning regulations, whichever is earlier, per Ordinance No. O-2526-70. No amendment, extension, or repeal was found in city records or news coverage through 2026-09-23.
- Outcome: —
Oklahoma City
- Type: City
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-04-21
- Normalized date:
2026-04-21(exact) - Duration: Until 2026-12-31, or earlier if data center zoning amendments are adopted
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ok-oklahoma-city-2026 - Legal basis: Ordinance No. 28,071 (City of Oklahoma City), introduced, read, and passed with emergency on 2026-04-21 (Council Agenda Item XI.U), signed by the Mayor the same day; exempts pending rezoning applications PUD-2105 and PUD-2124. Amended 2026-05-19 by a 7-2 Council vote (per a City Manager memo amending Ordinance No. 28,071, adding a Section 7 definition limiting the moratorium to data centers with net-new electrical loads greater than 75 MW and a further exemption for the proposed project at 7725 N. Reno Ave. conditioned on potable-water use being limited to domestic/irrigation/fire-protection purposes); the specific ordinance number assigned to the May 19, 2026 amendment itself was not located.
- What prompted it: First large data center rezoning requests; no specific zoning use unit or regulations for data centers; concerns about water, electricity, noise, infrastructure, and other public impacts
- Affected projects: New applications for rezoning requests and permits, including building permits, for data center construction, expansion, or use; two pending rezoning requests are exempted
- Detailed status: Active, as amended, as of 2026-09-23; runs through Dec. 31, 2026 or the effective date of new data-center zoning-code amendments, whichever is earlier (Ordinance No. 28,071, Section 4). The May 19, 2026 amendment (7-2 vote) limited the moratorium to data centers with net-new electrical loads over 75 MW and added exemptions for the Expand Energy campus facility (serving Cerebras AI) and a facility at 7725 N. Reno Ave. No comprehensive data-center zoning use-unit had been adopted as of 2026-09-23 in any source reviewed in this pass, so the moratorium (as amended) remains in force; no further amendment or repeal was found.
- Outcome: City is using the pause to evaluate impacts and draft zoning code amendments for data centers
Pawhuska
- Type: City
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-04-14
- Normalized date:
2026-04-14(exact) - Duration: Until 2026-12-31, or earlier if data center regulations are adopted
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ok-pawhuska-2026 - Legal basis: Resolution 2026-04-01
- What prompted it: Proposed conversion of an abandoned warehouse near Indian Camp Elementary School into an 8-10 MW AI data center; utility capacity, water, school proximity, property values, and community-impact concerns
- Affected projects: All city actions that would advance data center development in Pawhuska
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; runs through Dec. 31, 2026 or earlier adoption of data-center regulations. The pause halted the proposed Buckley Bros Holdings conversion of a vacant 200,000-sq-ft carpet mill into an 8-10 MW AI data center; as of an Aug. 31, 2026 status check, 'no progress on the project can begin... until January 2027' and no relocation announcement had been made. No amendment, extension, or repeal was found in news coverage through 2026-09-23.
- Outcome: City will gather information and develop zoning, permitting, and performance-standard recommendations
Seminole Nation of Oklahoma
- Type: Tribal
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-03-07
- Normalized date:
2026-03-07(exact) - Duration: Indefinite by design, not merely undisclosed. Per KGOU reporting (June 25, 2026), the resolution's author, Rev. Chebon Kernell, originally drafted a ban on data-center discussions/inquiries/development, but 'that proposal turned into an indefinite moratorium at the suggestion of another council member.' The resolution's own phrase 'the moratorium period' (as quoted by Native News Online) therefore refers to an open-ended condition rather than a fixed numeric term that simply has not been published. The full resolution text remains unposted on sno-nsn.gov.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ok-seminole-nation-of-oklahoma-2026 - Legal basis: General Council of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, Tribal Resolution TR 2026-38, 'A Verbal Resolution... Implementing a Moratorium on the Advancement of Generative Artificial Intelligence Technology and Hyperscale Data Center Development within the Jurisdiction of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma,' passed and approved at Mekusukey Mission on March 7, 2026 by a vote of 24 Yes, 0 No, 0 Abstaining (quorum of 15 present).
- What prompted it: Startup approach seeking an NDA and letter of intent to develop a data center on Seminole lands; environmental, water, sovereignty, and community-health concerns
- Affected projects: Any inquiries, discussions, or developments concerning data centers of any size within the Seminole Nation during the moratorium period
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. TR 2026-38 bars 'any inquiries, discussions, and/or developments concerning any entity seeking to develop a data center of any size within the Seminole Nation... during the moratorium period,' with no stated end date (open-ended by design, per KGOU/KOSU reporting on the resolution's drafting history). Multiple independent sources through Aug. 20, 2026 (KOSU, Turtle Talk blog, Current Tribal Law) continue to describe the moratorium as in force, with no rescission, amendment, or replacement framework identified as of 2026-09-23. No Tribal Council minutes confirming continued force were located on the Seminole Nation's own website in this pass either.
- Outcome: Moratorium adopted before project approval; permanent replacement framework not identified
Shawnee
- Type: City
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-08-17 (Monday), Shawnee City Commission, unanimous 7-0 vote; resolution sponsored by Commissioner Chris Odneal
- Normalized date:
2026-08-17(exact) - Duration: From adoption through December 31, 2027
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ok-shawnee-2026 - Legal basis: Shawnee City Commission resolution (specific resolution/instrument number not located in captured coverage), sponsored by Commissioner Chris Odneal, freezing new data center applications through Dec. 31, 2027
- What prompted it: Preemptive pause to allow city staff to study how large-scale data centers might strain local power and water systems, and to update city regulations, before accepting new proposals; city staff had initially estimated a 90-day study period would suffice, but Commissioners opted for a longer runway through the end of 2027. Discussions ahead of the vote also touched on land-use questions involving the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, whose tribal headquarters are in Shawnee.
- Affected projects: None named; no current applications were pending at adoption. Applies only to new applications going forward, not to any existing operating or under-construction projects.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. Moratorium adopted Aug. 17, 2026 on a unanimous 7-0 vote, effective immediately, freezing new data-center applications through Dec. 31, 2027; does not affect any data center projects already operating or under construction in Shawnee. Staff committed to reporting findings within 90 days of adoption.
- Outcome: Shawnee City Commission adopted a moratorium freezing new data center applications through the end of 2027, directing staff to study power and water impacts and update city regulations before the pause lifts.
Tulsa
- Type: City
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-03-25 (unanimous Council vote; reported by Oklahoma Energy Today and Tulsa Flyer; ordinance text included emergency clause requiring immediate effectiveness, so adoption and effective dates coincide)
- Normalized date:
2026-03-25(exact) - Duration: Through 2026-12-31, or earlier if data center zoning amendments are adopted
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ok-tulsa-2026 - Legal basis: Tulsa City Council File/Ordinance No. 26-196 (final substitute version "26-196-3"), reviewed by the Urban Development committee and Council on 2026-03-11 and adopted by the Budget/Special Projects committee and Council on 2026-03-25. A redlined draft of the ordinance (marked 'JCB 3/25/26') shows the bill's caption and Section 4 term were amended from a flat '365-DAY' moratorium to a fixed expiration of 'December 31, 2026, or on the effective date of an ordinance amending data center regulations..., whichever is earlier'; the amendment also renumbered sections to add a Section 4 '60-DAY REPORTS' requirement for the Planning Office. This resolves the tension between the city's caption text and Tulsa Flyer's '9 months' reporting: the final adopted term is the Dec. 31, 2026 calendar date, not a literal 365-day count from adoption.
- What prompted it: Re-evaluation of Tulsa's 2024 classification of data centers as low-impact manufacturing and industry; concern that large-scale data centers may have off-site impacts
- Affected projects: New building permits for data center use in Tulsa; Project Anthem Phase 1 and one pending Phase 2 zoning case are exempted
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; runs through Dec. 31, 2026 (the term as actually adopted, notwithstanding the ordinance's '365-day' caption -- see legal_basis) or the effective date of new data-center zoning regulations, whichever is earlier. An Aug. 24, 2026 Tulsa Flyer report confirms the moratorium 'went into effect March 25 and expires Dec. 31,' that the Planning Office's first 60-day report has been produced and recommends reclassifying data centers by square footage and widening setbacks from 250 to 1,500 feet, and that final zoning recommendations are due to Council in November 2026, after which Council could adopt them or extend the moratorium. No extension or repeal had occurred as of 2026-09-23.
- Outcome: Planning Office must report to Council approximately every 60 days on zoning-code review and recommendations
Source: moratorium_inventory.csv · Methodology · Codebook.