Rhode Island local moratoria
Every local infrastructure moratorium in the inventory for Rhode Island, current through September 23, 2026.
1 instrument — 1 in force, 0 pending, 0 past.
State policy is tracked separately: 9 actions (9 bills) in state_legislation.csv. These are not included in the local count above.
| Jurisdiction | Type | Enacted | Sectors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westerly | Town | 2026-07-27 | data center | 🟢 Active |
Detailed entries
Westerly
- Type: Town
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-07-27 (Town Council public hearing and approval by voice vote at its regular meeting)
- Normalized date:
2026-07-27(exact) - Duration: One year upon passage, or as otherwise provided by the Town Council by ordinance; effective immediately upon passage
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
ri-westerly-2026 - Legal basis: Town of Westerly ordinance 'AN ORDINANCE IMPOSING A ONE-YEAR MORATORIUM ON ALL DATA CENTERS,' adding a new Data Center Moratorium section to the Westerly Code of Ordinances; noticed for public hearing 2026-07-27, adopted the same night by voice vote
- What prompted it: Town's ordinances and zoning regulations are silent on data centers; officials anticipate data center applications given the town's undeveloped land near water bodies and wanted time to draft siting/zoning rules before any application could vest
- Affected projects: None named; the town manager told the council the ordinances are 'currently silent on data centers' and the pause is meant to give the zoning side time to draft rules before any application could vest.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. The Westerly Town Council adopted a one-year moratorium on all data centers by voice vote at its July 27, 2026 meeting after a public hearing at which no one spoke in opposition. The ordinance bars the Planning Board, Zoning Board of Review, Zoning Board of Appeal, and all town agencies/employees from accepting, processing, approving, denying, or otherwise acting on any non-vested application, plan, permit, or license for a data center for one year from passage (through approximately 2027-07-27), with a vesting exemption for applications already certified complete.
- Outcome: Adopted by voice vote after a public hearing at the July 27, 2026 regular Town Council meeting; no recorded opposition.
Source: moratorium_inventory.csv · Methodology · Codebook.