Pennsylvania local moratoria
Every local infrastructure moratorium in the inventory for Pennsylvania, current through September 23, 2026.
26 instruments — 23 in force, 0 pending, 3 past.
State policy is tracked separately: 22 actions (22 bills) in state_legislation.csv. These are not included in the local count above.
| Jurisdiction | Type | Enacted | Sectors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams Township (Butler County) | Township | 2026-07-13 | data center, solar, general | 🟢 Active |
| Bensalem Township | Township | 2026-06-08 | data center, solar, wind | 🟢 Active |
| Brookville Borough | Other | 2026-06-16 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Buffalo Township (Butler County) | Township | 2026-08-12 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Butler Township (Luzerne County) | Township | 2026-05-12 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Center Township (Butler County) | Township | 2026-06-10 | data center, general | 🟢 Active |
| Clinton Township (Wayne County) | Township | 2026-04-30 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Conewago Township (York County) | Township | 2026-07-07 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Dorrance Township | Township | 2025-08-11 | data center | ⚪ Replaced |
| Doylestown Township | Township | 2026-06-16 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| East Whiteland Township | Township | 2026-03 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Falls Township (Bucks County) | Township | 2026-07-27 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Gregg Township (Union County) | Township | 2026-08-20 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Hazle Township | Township | 2026-06-08 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Little Britain Township | Township | 2026-07-14 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Lycoming County | County | 2026-06-18 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Montour County | County | 2025-11-18 | data center | ⚪ Replaced |
| Morrisville Borough | Other | 2026-07-21 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Mount Carmel Township | Township | 2026-05-18 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Muncy Township | Township | 2026-04-28 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Smithfield Township (Monroe County) | Township | 2026-05-06 | data center | ⚪ Replaced |
| Upper Burrell Township | Township | 2026-05 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Warrington Township (York County) | Township | 2026-05-13 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| West Mahanoy Township | Township | 2026-09-15 | data center, solar | 🟢 Active |
| West Whiteland Township | Township | 2026-05 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Williamsport | City | 2026-07-09 | data center | 🟢 Active |
Detailed entries
Adams Township (Butler County)
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-07-13, Adams Township Board of Supervisors, unanimous resolution formalizing a June 22, 2026 motion to establish the moratorium (Butler County)
- Normalized date:
2026-07-13(exact) - Duration: 180 days from the July 13, 2026 resolution (following the June 22, 2026 motion) to draft a curative amendment addressing six business types not covered by current zoning: data centers, power generation plants, large-scale and accessory solar power systems, last-mile fulfillment centers, micro-warehouses, and dispensaries.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center, solar, general
- Moratorium ID:
pa-adams-township-butler-county-2026 - Legal basis: Adams Township Board of Supervisors resolution (a follow-up to the June 22, 2026 motion), invoking the municipal curative amendment process under the PA Municipalities Planning Code and declaring the zoning ordinance's exclusion of the six business types 'does not bear a substantial relationship to the public health, safety or morals' of residents, and that a sweeping ban 'cannot pass constitutional muster' and is therefore invalid (specific resolution number not located in sources reviewed).
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap: current zoning ordinance does not address data centers, power generation plants, large-scale/accessory solar, last-mile fulfillment centers, micro-warehouses, or dispensaries, allowing any of them to be built anywhere in the township. Board Chairman Russell Ford emphasized the action was preemptive, not prompted by any pending application.
- Affected projects: None named; officials stated the moratorium was preemptive and not prompted by any pending application for any of the six covered business types.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23, running toward its computed 180-day expiry (~2027-01-09). Adopted via a unanimous June 22, 2026 motion and formalized by resolution at the July 13, 2026 meeting, the moratorium pauses applications for six business types (data centers, power generation plants, large-scale/accessory solar, last-mile fulfillment centers, micro-warehouses, dispensaries) while the township prepares a curative amendment to correct the declared invalidity. No news of an extension, adoption of the amendment, or repeal was found in sources reviewed through 2026-09-23.
- Outcome: Adams Township Board of Supervisors adopted a 180-day moratorium (via a June 22, 2026 motion, formalized by resolution on July 13, 2026) on six business types including data centers and large-scale solar, to allow time to draft a curative amendment to the zoning ordinance.
Bensalem Township
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: Township Council adopted a curative-amendment resolution by a 5-0 vote on 2026-06-08.
- Normalized date:
2026-06-08(exact) - Duration: 180-day municipal curative-amendment period after declaring portions of the zoning ordinance substantively invalid as to data centers, solar energy, and wind energy. Official minutes describe the protected period as a 180-day moratorium.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center, solar, wind
- Moratorium ID:
pa-bensalem-township-2026 - Legal basis: Township Council resolution, Municipal Curative Amendment (Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code Section 609.2)
- What prompted it: Zoning ordinance lacked provisions for data centers, solar energy, and wind energy.
- Affected projects: —
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31; 180-day curative-amendment period from 2026-06-08. No data center application was pending at adoption.
- Outcome: —
Brookville Borough
- Type: Other
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: Borough Council reportedly voted unanimously on 2026-06-16 for a 180-day moratorium.
- Normalized date:
2026-06-16(unverified) - Duration: 180-day moratorium on data center development; also bars data centers from using borough water during the pause.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-brookville-borough-2026 - Legal basis: Confirmed via three independent contemporaneous news reports (WPSU, The Courier-Express/Jeffersonian Democrat, and explorejeffersonpa.com/EYT) that the moratorium was adopted as a Borough Council motion -- made by Second Vice-President Randy Bartley during the property committee's report at the June 16, 2026 regular meeting -- rather than as a separately numbered ordinance or resolution. The Courier-Express: 'The moratorium was approved during a report by the property committee regarding some rezoning in the borough. The motion was made by Randy Bartley... The motion passed unanimously.' No ordinance or resolution number exists for this action because it was adopted by motion.
- What prompted it: Water-resource concerns tied to potential nearby data center projects; no formal application was pending.
- Affected projects: —
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23, running toward its computed 180-day expiry (~2026-12-13/14). Adopted by unanimous Borough Council motion on 2026-06-16, pausing data center development in the borough and barring data centers from using Brookville's municipal water system (which also serves Corsica, Pinecreek Elementary School, and the Jefferson County Fairgrounds outside the borough). The action was prompted by unofficial word of two possible nearby data center projects -- one in Pine Creek Township, one in Rose Township -- that officials estimated could together require about 2.4 million gallons of water per day; no formal application had been filed for either as of adoption. No news of an extension, permanent ordinance, or repeal was found in sources reviewed through 2026-09-23.
- Outcome: —
Buffalo Township (Butler County)
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-08-12, Buffalo Township Board of Supervisors, regular meeting vote creating a municipal curative amendment (Butler County)
- Normalized date:
2026-08-12(exact) - Duration: 180 days from adoption to draft and adopt zoning standards for data centers; effectively bars new data-center project proposals during that window by preempting a landowner-initiated curative amendment.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-buffalo-township-2026 - Legal basis: Buffalo Township municipal curative amendment under PA Municipalities Planning Code Section 609.2 (specific resolution number not located in sources reviewed)
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap: township zoning ordinance does not address data centers; adopted proactively -- following similar action in other Butler County townships (Adams, Center, Lancaster) -- specifically to prevent a developer from forcing the issue via a landowner curative amendment.
- Affected projects: None named; no application was pending as of adoption.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. 180-day municipal curative amendment adopted 2026-08-12, giving the township until approximately 2027-02-08 to draft and adopt data-center zoning standards; effectively functions as a moratorium on new data-center proposals during that period, per township solicitor Brian Farrington ('I don't want to call it a moratorium, but effectively, it is').
- Outcome: Buffalo Township Board of Supervisors created a municipal curative amendment, giving the township 180 days to draft data-center zoning rules and effectively barring new data-center proposals during that period.
Butler Township (Luzerne County)
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution No. 05122026 on 2026-05-12.
- Normalized date:
2026-05-12(exact) - Duration: Declares the township zoning ordinance substantively invalid for not defining or regulating data centers, triggering a 180-day municipal curative-amendment period during which new data center applications are paused from vesting under the prior ordinance.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-butler-township-2026 - Legal basis: Resolution No. 05122026, Municipal Curative Amendment (Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code Section 609.2)
- What prompted it: Zoning ordinance did not define or regulate data centers.
- Affected projects: —
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31; 180-day curative-amendment period from 2026-05-12.
- Outcome: —
Center Township (Butler County)
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: Board of Supervisors voted unanimously at its regular meeting on Wednesday, 2026-06-10, to approve a curative amendment. Confirmed directly by the Butler Eagle's meeting report, which quotes Supervisors Phil Wulff, Don Pringle, and Mark Lauer on the record from that meeting.
- Normalized date:
2026-06-10(unverified) - Duration: 180-day pause halting data center and power-generation-plant-system development while the township prepares zoning standards.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center, general
- Moratorium ID:
pa-center-township-2026 - Legal basis: Curative amendment approved by the Board of Supervisors on 2026-06-10, halting data center and power-generation-plant-system development for 180 days (Supervisor Phil Wulff: 'the board of supervisors needs to undertake formal action to remedy an exclusionary omission... in the zoning ordinance'). A July 31, 2026 Butler Eagle roundup of Butler County municipalities independently confirms Center Township (along with Adams Township) 'went as far as enacting 180-day moratoriums on data centers and related developments.' Specific resolution/ordinance number and official minutes were not located in sources reviewed.
- What prompted it: No data center development request had been received; adopted proactively.
- Affected projects: —
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23, running toward its computed 180-day expiry (~2026-12-07). No data center application had been filed in Center Township as of adoption; the pause was adopted proactively, alongside similar action in neighboring Adams Township, while Center, Summit, Jefferson, Penn, Lancaster, and Forward townships in Butler County all worked on data-center zoning ordinances as of the July 31, 2026 countywide roundup. No news of a permanent ordinance adoption, extension, or repeal specific to Center Township was found in sources reviewed through 2026-09-23.
- Outcome: —
Clinton Township (Wayne County)
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: Board of Supervisors instituted a six-month moratorium in April 2026; the River Reporter dates it to the April 8 meeting in one story and to April 30 in another (April 30 is also the date the Linde Corporation application was received). Recorded as 2026-04-30 pending minutes. [VERIFY exact April meeting date]
- Normalized date:
2026-04-30(range) - Duration: Approximately six months (treated here as 180 days) from the April 30, 2026 vote, to allow the township and Wayne County Planning Commissions to review a draft data-center/SALDO ordinance before adoption.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-clinton-township-wayne-county-2026 - Legal basis: Clinton Township Board of Supervisors vote (April 30, 2026 meeting) adopting a six-month moratorium on data-center applications while a draft Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) amendment, prepared by Solicitor Jeffrey Treat since a December 2025 request, is reviewed by the Township and Wayne County Planning Commissions (specific resolution number not located in sources reviewed).
- What prompted it: Specific project combined with a regulatory gap: the moratorium was adopted the same day Linde Corporation submitted a proposal for a data center and gas-fired power plants on a 758-acre former mining parcel near Browndale, on land identified as containing one of only two 'exceptional value waters' streams in Wayne County (Roger's Creek, tributary to the Lackawanna/Susquehanna); the township had already been drafting data-center standards since a December 2025 board request.
- Affected projects: Linde Corporation's proposed $6 billion data center and two gas-fired power plants on 758 acres of former mining land near Browndale; the application was submitted April 30, 2026 (the same day the moratorium was adopted) and was unanimously rejected by the Board of Supervisors on 2026-09-14 for failing to meet SALDO standards; an appeal to Wayne County Court is expected.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; the moratorium's precise end date is not independently confirmed (estimated late October 2026 from a six-month term starting April 30, 2026). Since adoption, Linde Corporation's application (submitted the same day as the moratorium) proceeded through contested public hearings, including a May 7, 2026 planning commission session drawing roughly 250 attendees. On 2026-09-14, the Board of Supervisors -- following a unanimous Planning Commission recommendation to deny -- unanimously rejected Linde's preliminary land development plan for 20 data center buildings and two gas-fired power plants, finding it did not meet the township's Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (insufficient detail on environmental protections, stormwater management, and infrastructure impacts). Linde is widely expected to appeal to Wayne County Court. [VERIFY instrument number; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.65 in the 2026-09 refresh]
- Outcome: Clinton Township (Wayne County) Board of Supervisors voted on 2026-04-30 to impose a six-month moratorium on data-center applications while it finalized a data-center ordinance; the township separately and unanimously rejected the pending Linde Corporation data center/power-plant land development plan on 2026-09-14 for failing to meet subdivision and land development standards.
Conewago Township (York County)
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-07-07, Conewago Township Board of Supervisors, unanimous vote adopting Resolution 2026-13 (York County)
- Normalized date:
2026-07-07(exact) - Duration: 180-day moratorium on all data center applications, per the township's own presentation materials.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-conewago-township-york-county-2026 - Legal basis: Resolution 2026-13 (Conewago Township, York County), adopted unanimously at the July 7, 2026 Board of Supervisors meeting, invoking the municipal curative-amendment process to prevent a developer from filing a substantive validity challenge to the township's zoning ordinance over its silence on data centers.
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap: zoning ordinance did not address data centers; a draft data-center ordinance and zoning overlay map, developed with township counsel (Eckert Seamans) and engineering consultant (CS Davidson), was presented to the public at a July 23, 2026 special joint meeting of the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission.
- Affected projects: None named; a prior 2025 proposal to rezone land near Bible Baptist Church for a data center (developer identified in some coverage) drew opposition but is treated separately from this proactive, township-wide moratorium.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23, running toward its official 2027-01-03 end date (per the township's own presentation). A draft ordinance establishing a Data Center Overlay district (100-acre minimum parcel, 250-foot perimeter setback, 90-foot height cap, 50-foot landscaped buffer, acoustic standards, etc.) has been presented publicly but not yet adopted as of this research pass; residents continue to organize opposition to rezoning for data centers in the township.
- Outcome: Conewago Township Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted Resolution 2026-13 on 2026-07-07, a 180-day moratorium on data-center applications (ending 2027-01-03), while it develops a Data Center Overlay zoning ordinance.
Dorrance Township
- Type: Township
- Status: ⚪ Replaced
- Date enacted: 2025-08-11, Dorrance Township Board of Supervisors, unanimous vote (Luzerne County)
- Normalized date:
2025-08-11(exact) - Duration: Up to 180 days from Aug. 11, 2025 to amend the zoning ordinance; the process concluded early when the township adopted a permanent zoning amendment on 2025-09-22 (about six weeks later).
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-dorrance-township-2025 - Legal basis: Dorrance Township Board of Supervisors ordinance (adopted 2025-08-11) imposing 'a temporary moratorium of the acceptance, processing, and approval of applications for data centers and similar technology, related businesses that consume large amounts of power and use water for cooling, throughout all zoning districts of the township'; superseded by a permanent zoning amendment adopted 2025-09-22 (unanimous 3-0 vote) establishing conditional-use standards for data centers, data center accessory structures, power substations, and data center campuses.
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap combined with public pressure: zoning ordinance was silent on data centers; adopted after more than 100 residents packed a planning commission meeting following rumors that a data center was planned for the township, though officials said no proposal had been received.
- Affected projects: None named as pending at the original moratorium's adoption. The subsequent zoning-validity challenge came from Brewster Land Company over a 155-acre B-2 parcel, adjudicated separately by the Zoning Hearing Board and later appealed to court by the developer.
- Detailed status: Replaced as of 2025-09-22. The township's Aug. 11, 2025 temporary moratorium was superseded about six weeks later when supervisors voted 3-0 to permanently amend the zoning ordinance's conditional-use standards to regulate data centers, data center accessory structures, power substations, and data center campuses (covering noise, vibration, traffic and police/fire impact, and a water feasibility study requirement). The permanent amendment was later challenged by developer Brewster Land Company (landowner curative amendment / validity challenge over a 155-acre B-2-zoned parcel); the Zoning Hearing Board rejected that challenge (outcome reported as a township 'win' around 2026-05/06), and the developer has since appealed to court (as of an Aug. 31, 2026 report).
- Outcome: Dorrance Township Board of Supervisors adopted a temporary moratorium on data-center applications on 2025-08-11, which was replaced about six weeks later by a permanent zoning amendment (2025-09-22) establishing conditional-use standards for data centers, data center accessory structures, power substations, and data center campuses.
Doylestown Township
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-06-16, Doylestown Township Board of Supervisors vote (Bucks County)
- Normalized date:
2026-06-16(exact) - Duration: 180 days (six months) from June 16, 2026 to adopt new data-center zoning rules; during that time no data-center application may be submitted or reviewed in the township.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-doylestown-township-2026 - Legal basis: Doylestown Township Board of Supervisors resolution (adopted June 16, 2026) invoking the municipal curative amendment process, declaring the zoning ordinance's failure to identify or regulate data centers 'substantively invalid' (specific resolution number not located in sources reviewed); township solicitor Peter Nelson advised the process requires adoption of a new ordinance within 180 days and bars reuse of the same curative-amendment tool for three years.
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap: zoning ordinance does not identify or regulate data centers as a permitted use; adopted proactively as part of a broader wave of Bucks County municipalities (following neighboring Falls Township's contested Amazon data center) acting to define and regulate the use before an application arrives.
- Affected projects: None; no data center application is pending in Doylestown Township.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23, nearing its computed 2026-12-13 end date. The vote does not itself adopt final zoning rules; it starts a 180-day period for officials and consultants to draft standards on where data centers may be located, how they are defined, and what development standards would apply. No application is pending in the township.
- Outcome: Doylestown Township Board of Supervisors voted on June 16, 2026 to begin a 180-day municipal curative amendment process, temporarily freezing any data-center applications while the township drafts zoning rules.
East Whiteland Township
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-03, East Whiteland Township Board of Supervisors vote to initiate a municipal curative amendment (Chester County); exact day not confirmed in sources reviewed
- Normalized date:
2026-03(month_only) - Duration: 180 days from the March 2026 vote to draft and adopt a data-center zoning ordinance ('Data Center Ordinance'); a public hearing to consider its adoption was set for Sept. 24, 2026.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-east-whiteland-township-2026 - Legal basis: East Whiteland Township municipal curative amendment under the PA Municipalities Planning Code, developed with a resident working group beginning May 2026; a Sept. 24, 2026 public hearing was set to consider adoption of the resulting ordinance
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap combined with a specific, highly contested project: developer Green Fig's proposal (later expanded to 1.7 million sq ft) for a data center on Swedesford Road, which drew sustained community opposition; the township already had an earlier, separately approved 2024 data-center plan on the same site.
- Affected projects: Green Fig/Sentinel data center proposal on Swedesford Road; the expanded 1.7-million-sq-ft version was withdrawn in May 2026, with the developer expected to instead pursue its earlier-approved 2024 plan (details of that plan not confirmed in this pass).
- Detailed status: Nearing resolution as of 2026-09-23. The 180-day curative-amendment clock started in March 2026 (per The Center Square); Green Fig withdrew its expanded 1.7-million-sq-ft application in May 2026 amid sustained opposition and signaled intent to instead pursue its earlier, previously approved 2024 plan. A resident working group helped draft the resulting 'Data Center Ordinance,' for which the Board of Supervisors set a Sept. 24, 2026 public hearing to consider adoption (one day after this research pass); the pending Sentinel/Green Fig application is not on that hearing's agenda.
- Outcome: East Whiteland Township Board of Supervisors initiated a municipal curative amendment in March 2026 to add data-center zoning standards; a resident working group helped draft the resulting ordinance, which was scheduled for a Sept. 24, 2026 adoption hearing.
Falls Township (Bucks County)
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-07-27, Falls Township Board of Supervisors vote (Bucks County)
- Normalized date:
2026-07-27(exact) - Duration: 180 days from July 27, 2026 for the township to review and potentially amend Chapter 209 of its zoning ordinance regarding data centers.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-falls-township-2026 - Legal basis: Falls Township Board of Supervisors resolution (adopted July 27, 2026) declaring a portion of the zoning ordinance 'substantively invalid' as to data centers, initiating a municipal curative amendment as a 'protective measure' against substantive-validity challenges (specific resolution number not located in sources reviewed).
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap combined with sustained public opposition to the already-approved Amazon Web Services data center (a 2-million-square-foot, 10-building campus under construction at the former U.S. Steel/Keystone Trade Center site); residents demanded clearer definitions of 'data center' and infrastructure/utility standards for future proposals.
- Affected projects: None going forward; the curative amendment explicitly does not affect the already-approved and under-construction Amazon Web Services data center at the former U.S. Steel site, whose approval (March 2025) and community pushback prompted this action.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23, running toward its computed 2027-01-23 end date. The curative amendment does not affect the already-approved (March 2025) Amazon Web Services data center, which remains under construction; township staff will review the existing zoning ordinance and bring proposed amendments back to the Board within 180 days, with drafts to be posted publicly and advertised before hearings.
- Outcome: Falls Township Board of Supervisors voted July 27, 2026 to declare part of its zoning ordinance substantively invalid as to data centers, opening a 180-day curative-amendment period to draft new zoning rules.
Gregg Township (Union County)
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-08-20, Gregg Township Board of Supervisors, special meeting, unanimous adoption of Resolution 2026-03
- Normalized date:
2026-08-20(exact) - Duration: Not to exceed 180 days, or until earlier terminated by the Board of Supervisors; bars new data center or 'technical development' applications while a curative amendment to the zoning ordinance is completed. Excludes the pending PNK Group application, which continues to be processed separately.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-gregg-township-union-county-2026 - Legal basis: Resolution 2026-03 (Gregg Township, Union County), adopted at an Aug. 20, 2026 special meeting
- What prompted it: Curative-amendment process to add data-center zoning standards, prompted by PNK Group's pending application for a large data-center campus at Great Stream Commons and the absence of applicable standards in the township's zoning ordinance.
- Affected projects: PNK Group's pending application for a data center at Great Stream Commons (an initial 60-megawatt phase with a full build-out up to 240 megawatts) is expressly excluded from the moratorium and continues to be processed.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. Adopted unanimously at an Aug. 20, 2026 special meeting; bars new data center/technical development applications for up to 180 days (through approximately 2027-02-16) while the township completes a curative amendment. Does not apply to PNK Group's pending application, which continues to be processed and has been the subject of contested public hearings (through at least Aug. 25, 2026), including reports that several formerly opposed neighboring households signed non-opposition or support letters after a confidential settlement offer from PNK.
- Outcome: Gregg Township (Union County) Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution 2026-03, a moratorium on new data-center applications (excluding the pending PNK Group application), to allow time to complete a curative amendment to the zoning ordinance.
Hazle Township
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-06-08, Hazle Township (Luzerne County) Board of Supervisors, unanimous vote adopting a curative amendment.
- Normalized date:
2026-06-08(exact) - Duration: 180 days from adoption (to approximately 2026-12-05).
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-hazle-township-2026 - Legal basis: Municipal curative amendment adopted by the Hazle Township Board of Supervisors, temporarily invalidating portions of the township zoning ordinance for 180 days on the stated grounds that the ordinance is deficient because it does not address data centers (instrument number not located).
- What prompted it: Followed sustained community opposition ("Project Hazelnot") to NorthPoint Development's proposed ~1,300-acre, 15-building "Project Hazelnut" data-center campus with substation, which the township had already rejected in November 2025 and which a Luzerne County judge ruled against in spring 2026.
- Affected projects: NorthPoint Development's proposed 'Project Hazelnut' data-center campus, previously denied by the township and by a county court.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31 (expires approximately 2026-12-05).
- Outcome: Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a 180-day curative amendment pausing consideration of new data-center applications while permanent zoning language is drafted.
Little Britain Township
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-07-14, Little Britain Township Board of Supervisors, unanimous vote adopting the formal moratorium resolution (Lancaster County); preceded by a June 9, 2026 preliminary vote to move forward with the same moratorium concept.
- Normalized date:
2026-07-14(exact) - Duration: 180 days from the July 14, 2026 resolution, preventing submission of any applications for data centers, their ancillary structures, or energy generation, while the township develops a zoning ordinance.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-little-britain-township-2026 - Legal basis: Little Britain Township Board of Supervisors resolution (adopted July 14, 2026) declaring existing ordinances invalid regarding data centers and related uses because they are not addressed, initiating a municipal curative amendment (specific resolution number not located in sources reviewed).
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap: the township has no ordinance specifically addressing data centers; adopted proactively while the board develops a new ordinance modeled on those of nearby townships.
- Affected projects: None named; adopted proactively rather than in response to a pending application.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23, running toward its computed 2027-01-10 end date. The township now has six months from adoption to develop an ordinance amendment with help from the township solicitor and planning commission, using nearby townships' ordinances as models. No news of an extension, adoption of the amendment, or repeal was found in sources reviewed through 2026-09-23.
- Outcome: Little Britain Township Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution on 2026-07-14 imposing a 180-day moratorium on data-center applications, following a preliminary June 9, 2026 vote to move forward with the concept.
Lycoming County
- Type: County
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: County commissioners reportedly approved a curative-amendment resolution on 2026-06-18.
- Normalized date:
2026-06-18(unverified) - Duration: 180-day municipal curative-amendment period after declaring the county zoning ordinance substantially invalid for lacking appropriate regulation of data centers and related uses; affects municipalities participating in the county zoning partnership.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-lycoming-county-2026 - Legal basis: Resolution 2026-16 (Lycoming County), adopted 3-0 by the Board of Commissioners at its regular public meeting on 2026-06-18, declaring the county's zoning ordinance (enacted 1991, amended 2021) 'substantially invalid' for failing to provide appropriate zoning regulation of data centers and accessory/similar uses, and triggering the 180-day curative-amendment period under the PA Municipalities Planning Code.
- What prompted it: County zoning ordinance lacked appropriate regulation of data centers and related uses.
- Affected projects: —
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23, running toward its 180-day statutory ceiling (~2026-12-15). The county's Planning & Community Development Department, working with consultant Entech Engineering, introduced a full draft curative amendment (covering power sourcing, water supply, permitted zones, setbacks, noise, and decommissioning) to the County Planning Commission in September 2026; Commission Chair Jason Bogle stressed it remains a draft, and public-comment hearings before the Board of Commissioners were expected to begin around mid-November 2026, ahead of the statutory deadline. Commissioner Marc Sortman has repeatedly clarified that the county's own zoning authority covers only the 19 municipalities in its zoning partnership (which does not include Muncy Township, a separate PA MPC curative-amendment moratorium already tracked in this inventory as pa-muncy-township-2026); other municipalities must adopt their own ordinances.
- Outcome: —
Montour County
- Type: County
- Status: ⚪ Replaced
- Date enacted: 2025-11-18
- Normalized date:
2025-11-18(exact) - Duration: 180 days, expiring about 2026-05-17 unless extended or superseded
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-montour-county-2025 - Legal basis: Resolution R-11-19-2025 (the moratorium, now superseded); Ordinance No. 1-2026, the 'Data Center Land Use Ordinance,' enacted by the Montour County Board of Commissioners on April 14, 2026, amending the County Zoning Ordinance to define and regulate Data Centers and Data Center Accessory Uses.
- What prompted it: Concern over potential data centers or similar large-scale digital/technology facilities; county needed time for Planning Commission ad-hoc committee ordinance work
- Affected projects: No pending data center applications at enactment; Talen Energy later sought rezoning of Anthony Township parcels for a data-center-related industrial use
- Detailed status: Superseded. The Montour County Board of Commissioners enacted Ordinance No. 1-2026 ('Data Center Land Use Ordinance') on April 14, 2026 -- before the moratorium's own nominal 2026-05-17 expiration -- amending the County Zoning Ordinance to permit Data Centers as a Conditional Use in the Industrial Zoning District, subject to detailed siting, setback/buffer-yard, noise, lighting, and 'Sensitive Receptor' protections and a Conditional Use review process. The moratorium (Resolution R-11-19-2025) is no longer the operative instrument; Ordinance 1-2026 governs data center siting in Montour County as of 2026-07-31.
- Outcome: Following the 2026-02-12 denial of Talen Energy's zoning map amendment, the county completed and enacted the Data Center Land Use Ordinance (Ordinance 1-2026) on 2026-04-14, permitting data centers by conditional use in the Industrial Zoning District rather than prohibiting them outright.
Morrisville Borough
- Type: Other
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-07-21, Morrisville Borough Council, vote to adopt the curative amendment (Bucks County)
- Normalized date:
2026-07-21(exact) - Duration: 180-day waiting period from July 21, 2026 to review land-use impacts and adopt updated data-center zoning regulations.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-morrisville-borough-2026 - Legal basis: Morrisville Borough Council resolution (adopted July 21, 2026) declaring a portion of the borough's zoning ordinance invalid and initiating a municipal curative amendment under the PA Municipalities Planning Code to shield the borough from data-center-related zoning challenges (specific resolution number not located in sources reviewed).
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap, adopted in the same week as neighboring Falls Township's similar action amid broader Bucks County concern over data-center energy consumption, noise, and water usage.
- Affected projects: None named; adopted proactively.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23, running toward its computed 2027-01-17 end date. The borough plans to use the 180-day period to review land-use impacts and prepare new zoning regulations related to data-center development; no application is reported pending in the borough.
- Outcome: Morrisville Borough Council adopted a resolution on 2026-07-21 declaring part of its zoning ordinance invalid and opening a 180-day curative-amendment/waiting period to draft data-center zoning regulations.
Mount Carmel Township
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-05-18, Mount Carmel Township Board of Supervisors, unanimous vote (Northumberland County)
- Normalized date:
2026-05-18(exact) - Duration: 180 days from May 18, 2026 to complete a municipal curative amendment ('Zoning Amendment') addressing data centers.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-mount-carmel-township-2026 - Legal basis: Mount Carmel Township municipal curative amendment under the PA Municipalities Planning Code; the township's own site describes it simply as the '180 day moratorium enacted on May 18, 2026,' the end result of which will be a curative amendment to correct zoning invalidities regarding data centers (specific resolution number not located in sources reviewed).
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap combined with sustained community opposition: hundreds of residents packed public meetings (including a May 13, 2026 hearing) opposing data-center development in the township; officials say they cannot outright ban the use but are working to limit and define it through zoning.
- Affected projects: None named as pending at adoption; the moratorium responded to general community opposition and rumors of data-center interest in the township rather than a specific filed application.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23, nearing its computed 2026-11-14 end date. The township presented an ordinance work-progress update on July 15, 2026 and a preliminary draft ordinance update on Aug. 12, 2026; a public hearing for comment only (no board vote that night) was advertised for Sept. 23, 2026 at Mount Carmel Area High School. No news of an extension, adoption of the final ordinance, or repeal was found in sources reviewed through 2026-09-23.
- Outcome: Mount Carmel Township Board of Supervisors adopted a 180-day moratorium on data-center proposals on 2026-05-18 to allow time to draft a curative-amendment zoning ordinance, with a public-comment hearing on the draft ordinance held Sept. 23, 2026.
Muncy Township
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: Board of Supervisors approved a temporary moratorium at an April 28, 2026 special meeting; reported by the Sun-Gazette on 2026-05-01.
- Normalized date:
2026-04-28(exact) - Duration: Nine months, or until the township adopts zoning regulations addressing data centers, whichever occurs first. Bars acceptance or review of listed municipal applications for data centers, data center campuses, high-intensity data processing facilities, and substantially similar uses during that period.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-muncy-township-2026 - Legal basis: Board of Supervisors motion/temporary moratorium adopted at the April 28, 2026 special meeting; no separately numbered ordinance or resolution identified in the sources reviewed
- What prompted it: Lack of existing zoning provisions addressing data centers.
- Affected projects: —
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31; nine-month pause from the 2026-04-28 vote runs to approximately late January 2027 unless superseded by earlier zoning adoption.
- Outcome: —
Smithfield Township (Monroe County)
- Type: Township
- Status: ⚪ Replaced
- Date enacted: 2026-05-06, Smithfield Township Board of Supervisors, adoption of Resolution No. 621 (Monroe County)
- Normalized date:
2026-05-06(exact) - Duration: Up to 180 days from May 6, 2026 (statutory ceiling Nov. 2, 2026) to adopt curative zoning amendments for data centers, data center accessory uses, and disaster recovery facilities; the process concluded early when the Board adopted the resulting curative amendment on 2026-08-12.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-smithfield-township-2026 - Legal basis: Resolution No. 621 (Smithfield Township), formally initiating the Municipalities Planning Code curative-amendment process; superseded by the curative amendment adopted 2026-08-12 establishing a new H-1 (Heavy Industrial) Zoning District for data centers, data center accessory uses, and disaster recovery facilities
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap: zoning ordinance did not specifically address data centers; adopted proactively to develop tailored standards and a dedicated zoning district.
- Affected projects: None named; adopted proactively.
- Detailed status: Replaced as of 2026-08-12. Resolution No. 621 (adopted 2026-05-06) opened a 180-day curative-amendment window (statutory ceiling 2026-11-02); following an Aug. 12, 2026 public hearing, the Board of Supervisors adopted the resulting curative amendment early, creating a new H-1 (Heavy Industrial) Zoning District (carved from the southern portion of the existing M-1 Industrial District) as the only zone where data centers, data center accessory uses, and disaster recovery facilities may locate (as Conditional Uses); these uses are no longer permitted in the township's ED or M-1 districts. The Board said it will address additional concerns in a future amendment.
- Outcome: Smithfield Township Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution No. 621, opening a municipal curative-amendment window that it used to adopt (on 2026-08-12, ahead of the Nov. 2, 2026 deadline) a permanent zoning amendment confining data centers to a newly created H-1 Heavy Industrial District.
Upper Burrell Township
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-05, Upper Burrell Township Board of Supervisors (Westmoreland County); exact day not confirmed in sources reviewed
- Normalized date:
2026-05(month_only) - Duration: 180 days; does not apply to building permits already granted to TECfusions for work on its existing 'Building J' (already operational), and did not prevent the township from later approving a land development plan (Aug. 5, 2026) for further electrical/mechanical upgrades to that building. Ends 2026-11-02.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-upper-burrell-township-2026 - Legal basis: Upper Burrell Township municipal curative amendment/moratorium on new data-center development (specific resolution number not located in sources reviewed)
- What prompted it: Public pressure over TECfusions' 'Keystone Connect' hyperscale data-center campus (up to 1,400 acres, potentially up to 3 gigawatts, at the former Alcoa/Arconic Technical Center); residents sought more transparency and regulation before further development.
- Affected projects: TECfusions' 'Keystone Connect' campus at the former Alcoa/Arconic Technical Center (up to 1,400 acres, potentially up to 3 GW); Building J is already operational and exempted from the moratorium, and a land-development plan for further work on that building was approved Aug. 5, 2026 despite the moratorium.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23, ending 2026-11-02. Bars new data-center development but does not apply to TECfusions' existing Building J permits (already operational, delivering GPU capacity per an Aug. 27, 2026 company release) or to a land-development plan the township approved Aug. 5, 2026 for further work on that building. A new draft ordinance (H-1-style Heavy Industrial standards, noise/vibration studies, and a contested requirement that developers provide their own baseload power generation) was under Planning Commission review, with a meeting held Sept. 15, 2026. A land-use appeal (Protect PT and two New Kensington residents, filed in Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas) argues the township improperly allowed TECfusions' expansion to proceed via permits and a land-development-plan approval without requiring a full zoning/special-exception process.
- Outcome: Upper Burrell Township Board of Supervisors adopted a 180-day moratorium/curative amendment on new data-center development (excluding already-permitted TECfusions work), to allow time to draft a data-center zoning ordinance; a land-use appeal challenging the township's handling of TECfusions' existing permits is pending in Westmoreland County court.
Warrington Township (York County)
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: Board of Supervisors adopted Resolution 2026-09 on 2026-05-13, formally ratifying an administrative pause the township says began with a March 11, 2026 motion.
- Normalized date:
2026-05-13(range) - Duration: Pause on applications for data center-related uses while the township prepares tailored zoning standards and pursues a municipal curative amendment. No explicit day count for the pause was located.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-warrington-township-2026 - Legal basis: Resolution 2026-09 (adopted 2026-05-13), formally ratifying the March 11, 2026 administrative pause on Data Center Uses under PA Municipalities Planning Code (MPC) Section 609.2, followed by Resolution 2026-15, which sets forth the specific findings of substantive invalidity required within 30 days under Section 609.2. Resolution 2026-15's own text states it was 'DULY PRESENTED AND ADOPTED...at a public meeting on the 10 day of June, 2026,' but the Township's own June 12, 2026 public notice and its July 8, 2026 Board of Supervisors agenda both list 'Resolution 2026-15-609.2 of the MPC-Administrative pause' as an item scheduled for a motion/vote at the July 8, 2026 meeting; the exact adoption date is therefore uncertain (between 2026-06-10 and 2026-07-08), a discrepancy in the Township's own records that could not be resolved from documents reviewed in this pass.
- What prompted it: Township preparing tailored zoning standards for data centers.
- Affected projects: —
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. The administrative pause on Data Center Uses (begun by a March 11, 2026 motion, ratified by Resolution 2026-09 on May 13, 2026) remains in force; the Township adopted Resolution 2026-15 (setting out the statutorily required specific findings of invalidity under MPC Section 609.2) around June-July 2026, renewing the Planning Commission's, Zoning Officer's, Township Manager's, Solicitor's, and Engineer's authorization to prepare a curative amendment to the Zoning Ordinance. No fixed end date is stated; the pause runs until a curative amendment is adopted. A third-party tracker (savrn.com, Pennsylvania Data Center Moratorium Tracker) independently lists Warrington Township's status as unchanged -- 'Local moratorium on data centers until a condition is met' -- as of its most recent update, citing this same Resolution 2026-15. A separate secondary aggregator (Civic IQ) surfaced a claim that the Township adopted 'Resolution 2026-19' on Aug. 11, 2026 extending the moratorium 180 days; that claim could not be corroborated and, on inspection, the underlying Civic IQ page is misattributed to a 'Town of York charter' in Michigan rather than Warrington Township, York County, Pennsylvania, so it is disregarded as unreliable.
- Outcome: —
West Mahanoy Township
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-09-15, West Mahanoy Township Board of Supervisors, unanimous vote (Schuylkill County)
- Normalized date:
2026-09-15(exact) - Duration: 180 days. Per the adopted resolution's text, the township 'shall not be required to entertain or consider any landowner's curative amendment or proposals for a data center use or solar farm' during that period.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center, solar
- Moratorium ID:
pa-west-mahanoy-township-2026 - Legal basis: West Mahanoy Township Board of Supervisors resolution invoking the municipal curative amendment process under the PA Municipalities Planning Code, declaring the zoning ordinance invalid as it relates to data centers, solar farms, on-site power generation, and related accessory uses (specific resolution number not located in sources reviewed)
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap: the zoning ordinance does not explicitly permit or provide standards for data centers or solar farms ('we don't have the protections in place'); adopted proactively, with no application pending, amid data-center and warehouse-development activity in neighboring Butler and Kline townships.
- Affected projects: None; officials confirmed no application for a data center or solar farm was pending as of adoption. Nearby, data-center-related developments are proceeding under warehouse permits in Butler and Kline townships.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. Adopted unanimously on 2026-09-15, covering both data centers and solar farms (plus on-site power generation and accessory uses); the township hired Siana Law as special zoning counsel, with a draft corrective ordinance (addressing noise, buffers, power sources, and community benefits) expected the following month. No application for either use is currently pending.
- Outcome: West Mahanoy Township Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution declaring its zoning ordinance invalid as to data centers and solar farms, triggering a 180-day municipal curative-amendment period during which no applications for either use will be entertained.
West Whiteland Township
- Type: Township
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-05, West Whiteland Township Board of Supervisors vote to invoke a municipal curative amendment (Chester County); exact day not confirmed, reported to the Planning Commission as already invoked on 2026-05-05
- Normalized date:
2026-05(month_only) - Duration: 180 days from adoption to adopt corrective zoning amendments addressing data centers.
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-west-whiteland-township-2026 - Legal basis: West Whiteland Township municipal curative amendment under the PA Municipalities Planning Code, declaring the zoning ordinance deficient for regulating data centers (specific resolution number not located in sources reviewed)
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap: zoning ordinance did not address data centers; adopted proactively, with no application pending, following neighboring East Whiteland Township's contested Green Fig data-center dispute.
- Affected projects: None; no data center application is pending in West Whiteland.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23, nearing its 2026-11-01 end date. Township planning staff told the Planning Commission on May 5, 2026 that the Board of Supervisors had invoked the municipal cure; the draft ordinance under development uses a 20,000-sq-ft threshold (excluding small server rooms), a dbC low-frequency noise standard, and was informed by model language PennFuture prepared for Allegheny County. No application is pending. [VERIFY instrument number; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.68 in the 2026-09 refresh]
- Outcome: West Whiteland Township Board of Supervisors invoked a municipal curative amendment declaring its zoning ordinance deficient for regulating data centers, giving the township 180 days (through approximately Nov. 1, 2026) to adopt corrective standards.
Williamsport
- Type: City
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-07-09, Williamsport City Council, 6-0 vote adopting Resolution #10088 (Lycoming County)
- Normalized date:
2026-07-09(exact) - Duration: 180 days from adoption to enact a curative amendment under 53 P.S. Section 10609.2, with a follow-up resolution required within 30 days making specific findings of invalidity. Councilman Milliken characterized it as effectively 'hitting pause' on data-center development even though the resolution does not describe itself as a 'pause.'
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
pa-williamsport-2026 - Legal basis: Resolution #10088 (City of Williamsport), adopted 6-0 by City Council on July 9, 2026, declaring the city's Zoning Ordinance (enacted April 16, 1998, amended since) substantively invalid insofar as it excludes data centers and ancillary buildings or uses, including but not limited to power generating facilities, and proposing preparation of a curative amendment under 53 P.S. Section 10609.2; a follow-up Resolution #10091 was required within 30 days to make specific findings of the declared invalidity.
- What prompted it: Regulatory gap: 1998 zoning ordinance does not account for data centers or their accessory uses; adopted proactively, following similar curative-amendment action by Lycoming County and several county townships, to close the loophole that would otherwise let a developer file a landowner curative amendment and force approval of a data center anywhere in the city.
- Affected projects: None; no data center application is pending in the City of Williamsport as of adoption.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23, running toward its computed 2027-01-05 end date. No data center is presently planned in the City of Williamsport; the resolution was the city's opening move in a regional contest over who regulates data-center siting, alongside Lycoming County's own curative amendment (pa-lycoming-county-2026, a separate, already-tracked instrument covering the county's 19 zoning-partner municipalities, which does not include the City of Williamsport).
- Outcome: Williamsport City Council adopted Resolution #10088 on 2026-07-09, a 6-0 vote declaring the city's zoning ordinance substantively invalid as to data centers and opening a 180-day curative-amendment period.
Source: moratorium_inventory.csv · Methodology · Codebook.