South Carolina local moratoria

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

16 instruments — 14 in force, 1 pending, 1 past.

State policy is tracked separately: 7 actions (7 bills) in state_legislation.csv. These are not included in the local count above.

Detailed entries

Anderson County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: August 18, 2026 (County Council third reading, per county's own Aug. 18, 2026 agenda packet and Fox Carolina/WYFF4/WSPA coverage of the unanimous-report vote; first reading was a special called meeting June 29, 2026)
• Normalized date: 2026-08-18 (exact)
• Duration: Six months
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: sc-anderson-county-2026
• Legal basis: Ordinance No. 2026-037 (Anderson County Council)
• What prompted it: County has no regulatory framework or zoning structure for data centers; concern over strain on the electric power grid, water supply, and local infrastructure from inadequately regulated development of multiple data centers.
• Affected projects: —
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; adopted on third reading Aug. 18, 2026 and confirmed via the county's own agenda packet and multiple news organizations. No pending items or new applications for data centers may be accepted, processed, or approved for the moratorium's term.
• Outcome: Adopted six-month moratorium on acceptance, processing, or approval of data center development applications.

Chester County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: July 20, 2026 (County Council unanimous approval, per WSOC-TV, following a June 15, 2026 first reading)
• Normalized date: 2026-07-20 (exact)
• Duration: Six months
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: sc-chester-county-2026
• Legal basis: Ordinance 2026-14 (Chester County Council), "Declaring a temporary, countywide pause on the acceptance, processing, and approval of applications regarding data centers and data center-related developments; directing the study and preparation of data center development standards; invoking the pending ordinance doctrine"; first reading and public hearing June 15/July 20, 2026 per the county's own July 20, 2026 council agenda packet, third reading approved July 20, 2026.
• What prompted it: Pause to allow the county to develop rules and guidelines, with public educational meetings planned to begin in August 2026; first-reading materials cited electric-grid and utility capacity, economic, environmental, and community effects.
• Affected projects: —
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; confirmed via the county's own July 20, 2026 council agenda packet (Ordinance 2026-14, public hearing and 3rd reading that date) and WBTV news coverage of the unanimous vote. The 180-day term (from July 20, 2026) runs to approximately 2027-01-16 and had not lapsed as of 2026-09-23; no extension, repeal, or replacement was found. The county's June 18, 2026 press release also notes the pause followed the county's separately adopted data-center zoning regulations (CCTA26-06).
• Outcome: Approved six-month moratorium on new data center development.

Chesterfield County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: June 1, 2026 (County Council third reading and public hearing, adopting Ordinance 25-26-23)
• Normalized date: 2026-06-01 (exact)
• Duration: Until January 1, 2028, or until the county adopts regulations for data center/data processing/cryptocurrency mining uses, whichever occurs first
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center, cryptocurrency mining
• Moratorium ID: sc-chesterfield-county-2026
• Legal basis: Ordinance 25-26-23 (Chesterfield County Council)
• What prompted it: Immediately stops acceptance, review, or action on zoning approvals, construction permits, site plans, and other county approvals for data centers, data processing facilities, cryptocurrency mining operations, and related uses in unincorporated Chesterfield County; followed an emergency moratorium adopted April 6, 2026.
• Affected projects: —
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; regular ordinance (No. 25-26-23) replacing an April 6, 2026 emergency moratorium, in effect until 2028-01-01 or earlier adoption of permanent regulations. Confirmed against the county's own ordinance text ("shall remain in effect until January 1, 2028, or until such time as the County adopts regulations governing these uses, whichever occurs first") and the county's current ordinances index, which lists no later ordinance amending or repealing 25-26-23 through its most recent entry (09/14/2026).
• Outcome: Adopted long-term temporary moratorium on data center and related approvals in unincorporated Chesterfield County.

Clarendon County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: September 14, 2026 (County Council third and final reading and public hearing, per WIS; second reading was at an Aug. 24, 2026 special called meeting, first reading Aug. 10, 2026)
• Normalized date: 2026-09-14 (exact)
• Duration: Six months
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center, battery storage
• Moratorium ID: sc-clarendon-county-2026
• Legal basis: Ordinance 2026-18 (Clarendon County Council)
• What prompted it: County's Unified Development Code does not specifically define data centers or battery energy storage systems; council sought to close a loophole after learning of a proposed "Project 59" data center in the county industrial park, and to give time to set standards for setbacks, buffers, noise, lighting, and emergency access.
• Affected projects: Proposed "Project 59" data center in the county industrial park (Santee Electric Cooperative / developer identified as "Five Nines"); this project is not paused by the moratorium because it is sited in an Industrial I district.
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; adopted unanimously on third and final reading Sept. 14, 2026, following a public hearing. Pauses land-use and development approvals for data centers and battery storage facilities outside areas zoned Industrial I or Industrial II; does not affect the proposed Project 59 data center, which is sited in an Industrial I district and received a conditional-use determination from county planning staff.
• Outcome: Adopted six-month moratorium on data center and battery energy storage system approvals outside industrially zoned areas.

Colleton County

• Type: County
• Status: ⚪ Replaced
• Date enacted: July 6, 2026 (County Council third reading and enactment of Ordinance 26-O-04, effective immediately)
• Normalized date: 2026-07-06 (exact)
• Duration: Six months
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center, battery storage
• Moratorium ID: sc-colleton-county-2026
• Legal basis: Ordinance 26-O-04 (Colleton County Council), partially repealed as of 2026-09-14 for areas west of Interstate 95 and land already zoned Light/Industrial/Heavy Industrial, by a new ordinance establishing a "Digital Infrastructure Overlay District" (which also repeals and replaces the county's separate data-center zoning ordinance, No. 25-O-10) and a companion zoning-map amendment, both adopted on third reading 2026-09-14.
• What prompted it: Pauses consideration of special exceptions, conditional uses, and other land-use approvals for data centers while county staff and the Planning Commission study appropriate locations/conditions and prepare comprehensive-plan and code amendments; also holds received-but-unconsidered applications in abeyance.
• Affected projects: Unspecified data center project(s) subject to related Southern Environmental Law Center litigation, paused during the moratorium.
• Detailed status: Partially superseded as of 2026-09-14. Colleton County Council unanimously adopted (third reading) a Digital Infrastructure Overlay District ordinance permitting data centers and battery energy storage systems, subject to conditions (300+ acre minimum, 65 dB noise cap, 200-ft buffers, closed-loop cooling), west of Interstate 95 and on land already zoned Light/Industrial/Industrial/Heavy Industrial; the moratorium (Ordinance 26-O-04) is repealed with respect to those areas but continues to apply elsewhere in the county (east of I-95, non-industrial-zoned land) through its original ~180-day term (adopted 2026-07-06, running to approximately 2027-01-02) absent further council action.
• Outcome: Adopted six-month moratorium in July 2026 (Ordinance 26-O-04); on 2026-09-14 the county partially repealed that moratorium and replaced it, for areas west of I-95 and already-industrial-zoned land, with a Digital Infrastructure Overlay District permitting data centers and battery storage under conditions (minimum 300 acres, 65 dB noise cap, 200-ft buffers, closed-loop cooling); the moratorium remains in force elsewhere in the county pending its original term.

Fairfield County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: September 14, 2026 (County Council final vote approving Ordinance 856, per WLTX; first reading was at a July 20, 2026 special called meeting)
• Normalized date: 2026-09-14 (exact)
• Duration: Twelve months
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: sc-fairfield-county-2026
• Legal basis: Ordinance No. 856 (Fairfield County Council)
• What prompted it: Inquiries regarding data center development; county lacks a regulatory framework or zoning ordinance structure sufficient to manage the industry's scale and impact.
• Affected projects: —
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; adopted Sept. 14, 2026. The county will not accept or act on new data center applications or permits for 12 months from the ordinance's effective date, pending a comprehensive study and any resulting regulatory framework.
• Outcome: Adopted twelve-month moratorium on data center permitting, construction, and development.

Greenwood County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: July 21, 2026 (County Council 4-3 approval of third and final reading of Ordinance 2026-25)
• Normalized date: 2026-07-21 (exact)
• Duration: One year
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: sc-greenwood-county-2026
• Legal basis: Ordinance 2026-25 (Greenwood County Council)
• What prompted it: Pause on new data center approvals following citizen concerns; sponsored by Councilmembers Mark Allison, Cathy Miller, and Dayne Pruitt; twenty-four people registered for public comment on third reading.
• Affected projects: —
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. Confirmed via three independent news organizations (Index-Journal, twice, including an Aug. 21, 2026 follow-up reporting that the county has since formed a data-center ad hoc committee under the moratorium; and Fox Carolina) all describing the same July 21, 2026 4-3 third-reading vote on Ordinance 2026-25. No county-published ordinance document was located despite searching greenwoodcounty-sc.gov directly; the [VERIFY] marker is left in place because it specifically calls for a primary (non-news) source. [VERIFY primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.65 in the 2026-07 refresh]
• Outcome: Adopted one-year moratorium on new data center approvals by a 4-3 third-reading vote.

Jasper County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: September 21, 2026 (Monday night, third reading, unanimous)
• Normalized date: 2026-09-21 (exact)
• Duration: One year
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center, cryptocurrency mining
• Moratorium ID: sc-jasper-county-2026
• Legal basis: Ordinance approved by Jasper County Council on third reading, 2026-09-21
• What prompted it: Noise, traffic, high power usage, and environmental impacts of large-scale data centers and crypto mining
• Affected projects: —
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; Jasper County Council unanimously approved a one-year moratorium on new data center and cryptocurrency mining proposals in unincorporated Jasper County, following a public hearing on third reading, 2026-09-21.
• Outcome: Adopted

Kershaw County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: On or about September 22, 2026 (County Council third and final reading, per WIS reporting published Sept. 23, 2026; first and second readings passed Aug. 25 and Sept. 8, 2026, respectively)
• Normalized date: 2026-09-22 (range)
• Duration: One year
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center, cryptocurrency mining
• Moratorium ID: sc-kershaw-county-2026
• Legal basis: Kershaw County Council data center/cryptocurrency mining/data processing facilities moratorium ordinance (ordinance number not located in reviewed sources)
• What prompted it: Growing public interest and discussion about the potential impact of data centers on the community; residents raised AI/technology growth concerns during the public hearing.
• Affected projects: —
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; council passed third and final reading unanimously (with one member voting remotely), giving the county a one-year window to study the industry and develop regulations for data centers, cryptocurrency mining operations, and data processing facilities.
• Outcome: Adopted one-year moratorium on data centers, cryptocurrency mining operations, and data processing facilities.

Laurens County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: September 14, 2026 (County Council third and final reading, 6-0 vote, per Fox Carolina/WYFF4)
• Normalized date: 2026-09-14 (exact)
• Duration: One year
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: sc-laurens-county-2026
• Legal basis: Laurens County Council data center moratorium ordinance (ordinance number not located in reviewed sources); sponsored by Vice Chairman Matthew Brownlee
• What prompted it: County is unzoned; council wants time for public input, planning, and expert testimony before deciding how and where data centers should be regulated.
• Affected projects: —
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; adopted 6-0 on Sept. 14, 2026. Applies only to unincorporated Laurens County; the cities of Laurens and Clinton retain control over data centers within their own limits.
• Outcome: Adopted one-year moratorium on new data center development in unincorporated Laurens County.

Mount Pleasant

• Type: Town
• Status: 🟡 Pending
• Date enacted: —
• Normalized date: — (unverified)
• Duration: 120 days (proposed)
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: sc-mount-pleasant-undated
• Legal basis: —
• What prompted it: Groundwater capacity-use limits, water supply, energy demand, noise, and a by-right zoning loophole for data centers
• Affected projects: —
• Detailed status: Pending as of 2026-09-23; Planning Commission recommended a 120-day moratorium on data center applications on Aug. 31, 2026 (first-reading council discussion held Sept. 8, 2026); full Town Council final vote not confirmed as of the most recent source reviewed. [VERIFY instrument number; adoption date; primary source (news-only evidence) not confirmed at confidence 0.6 in the 2026-09 refresh]
• Outcome: Recommended; council vote status unconfirmed

Newberry County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: An initial pause was put in effect around 2026-06-02/06-03 following resident concerns (WIS News 10, 2026-06-03) and the council's rejection of a data center deal (WLTX, 2026-06-07); WRDW reported the county 'passes 1-year data center moratorium' on 2026-06-05. The council then 'unanimously confirmed' the year-long moratorium on 2026-07-16 (WIS News 10; FOX Carolina).
• Normalized date: 2026-06-05 (range)
• Duration: One year
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: sc-newberry-county-2026
• Legal basis: Ordinance No. 06-01-2026 (Newberry County Council)
• What prompted it: Resident opposition to a proposed AI data center development and the council's rejection of an associated data center deal
• Affected projects: A proposed AI data center development that the council voted on/rejected in early June 2026
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. Confirmed via the county's own published Ordinance No. 06-01-2026, which declares a temporary, 12-month-or-less moratorium on Data Centers, and via FOX Carolina/WIS coverage of the council's July 16, 2026 unanimous reconfirmation and an Island Packet county-by-county roundup listing Newberry's moratorium as "Adopted June 1." No extension, repeal, or replacement was found as of 2026-09-23.
• Outcome: One-year countywide data center moratorium adopted and later unanimously reconfirmed

Orangeburg County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: September 8, 2026 (County Council third reading and public hearing, per the county's own official Sept. 8, 2026 agenda; first reading was at a July 23, 2026 special called meeting)
• Normalized date: 2026-09-08 (exact)
• Duration: One year
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center, cryptocurrency mining
• Moratorium ID: sc-orangeburg-county-2026
• Legal basis: Orangeburg County Council data center/data processing facility/cryptocurrency mining moratorium ordinance (ordinance number not located in reviewed sources); third reading and public hearing held 2026-09-08 per the county's own agenda
• What prompted it: Concerns over data center impacts on residents raised at town halls in July/August 2026; county sought time to study and develop rules before further data center development.
• Affected projects: —
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; adopted on third reading and public hearing Sept. 8, 2026, per the county's own agenda and WLTX news coverage. Data centers are prohibited in Orangeburg County for a year following adoption.
• Outcome: Adopted one-year moratorium halting acceptance, review, or action on rezoning, special exceptions, special use permits, building permits, site plans, and incentive approvals for data centers, data processing facilities, and cryptocurrency mining operations.

Spartanburg County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: September 21, 2026 (County Council third and final reading, 5-1 vote, per Post and Courier and Fox Carolina; first reading occurred in late June 2026)
• Normalized date: 2026-09-21 (exact)
• Duration: One year (12 months)
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: sc-spartanburg-county-2026
• Legal basis: Spartanburg County Council data center moratorium ordinance (ordinance number not located in reviewed sources); amended before third reading to exempt data centers of 65 IT megawatts or less that are sited in an established industrial park or former industrial site and meet specified conditions
• What prompted it: Public outcry over power grid strain, water resources, and air quality; moratorium was first proposed in response to the Lightstone Group's proposed data center on Jones Road (a 60-megawatt facility on a former industrial site).
• Affected projects: Lightstone Group's proposed Jones Road data center (the original trigger); does not apply to the already-approved Valara data center under construction on South Pine Street.
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23; adopted on third reading Sept. 21, 2026 by a 5-1 vote (Coker dissenting). The moratorium applies to data centers exceeding a combined 65 IT-megawatt electrical load; data centers at or below that threshold sited in a named industrial park or former industrial site, that do not self-generate power (except emergency backup), may still be approved under specified conditions. Does not apply to the already-approved Valara data center or to cryptocurrency mining.
• Outcome: Adopted one-year moratorium on new data center development, with amendments exempting facilities of 65 megawatts or less on qualifying industrial sites.

Sumter County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: An emergency 60-day moratorium (Ordinance 26-1049) covering solar, BESS, and data centers was approved and took effect immediately at the June 23, 2026 County Council meeting. Companion 180-day moratorium ordinances tailored to each use (Solar: Ordinance 26-1050; BESS: Ordinance 26-1051; Data Centers: Ordinance 26-1052) received second reading at a July 21, 2026 special called meeting, then unanimous third and final reading at the August 11, 2026 regular Council meeting, per the county's own final minutes.
• Normalized date: 2026-08-11 (exact)
• Duration: 180 days from the August 11, 2026 third-reading adoption of Ordinances 26-1050 (solar), 26-1051 (BESS), and 26-1052 (data centers), which superseded the 60-day emergency Ordinance 26-1049 (approved June 23, 2026, since lapsed)
• Current end date: 2027-02-07
• Sectors: data center, battery storage, solar
• Moratorium ID: sc-sumter-county-2026
• Legal basis: Emergency Ordinance 26-1049 (60-day moratorium on BESS, data centers, and solar farms, approved and effective June 23, 2026, since lapsed); superseded by Ordinances 26-1050 (Solar), 26-1051 (BESS), and 26-1052 (Data Centers), each imposing a 180-day moratorium, given second reading July 21, 2026 and unanimous third/final reading August 11, 2026 per the county's posted regular-meeting minutes
• What prompted it: County has no zoning provisions for battery energy storage systems or data centers; follows public opposition to, and council's rejection of, a proposed 1,700-acre solar farm.
• Affected projects: A proposed 1,700-acre solar farm that county council rejected, which prompted the moratorium push.
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. The 60-day emergency moratorium (26-1049, effective June 23, 2026) lapsed around Aug. 22, 2026, but Council gave unanimous third and final reading to the three companion 180-day ordinances (26-1050 Solar, 26-1051 BESS, 26-1052 Data Centers) at its Aug. 11, 2026 regular meeting, per the county's own posted minutes, so the pause on new permits for solar, BESS, and data-center facilities has run continuously and is now due to run to roughly 2027-02-07. Separately, the county's Land Use Committee and Planning Commission continued work in August-September 2026 on permanent, non-moratorium data-center zoning standards (OA-26-01), which received first reading Sept. 8, 2026 and had not been adopted as of this date.
• Outcome: Approved an emergency 60-day pause on solar, BESS, and data center applications in June 2026; advanced (second reading) three parallel 180-day moratorium ordinances in July 2026 whose final adoption could not be confirmed as of this research date.

York County

• Type: County
• Status: 🟢 Active
• Date enacted: July 13, 2026 (County Council third reading and public hearing, effective immediately in unincorporated York County)
• Normalized date: 2026-07-13 (exact)
• Duration: Nine months
• Current end date: —
• Sectors: data center
• Moratorium ID: sc-york-county-2026
• Legal basis: York County Council moratorium ordinance on data centers; ordinance number not located in sources reviewed
• What prompted it: Restricts special-exception and conditional-use approvals, site-plan acceptance, and other land-use/development approvals for data centers in unincorporated York County while the county studies utility, water, noise, pollution, infrastructure, and nearby-property impacts.
• Affected projects: Existing vested projects, including approved QTS site plans, are exempt from the moratorium.
• Detailed status: Active as of 2026-07-31; may be extended by resolution if more study time is needed. Applies only in unincorporated areas; vested projects, including approved QTS site plans, are exempt.
• Outcome: Adopted nine-month moratorium on data center land-use approvals in unincorporated York County.

Source: moratorium_inventory.csv · Methodology · Codebook.

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