South Dakota local moratoria
Every local infrastructure moratorium in the inventory for South Dakota, current through September 23, 2026.
4 instruments — 4 in force, 0 pending, 0 past.
State policy is tracked separately: 14 actions (14 bills) in state_legislation.csv. These are not included in the local count above.
| Jurisdiction | Type | Enacted | Sectors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | City | 2026-07-20 | data center | 🟢 Active |
| Pennington County | County | 2024-11-19 | wind, solar | 🟢 Active |
| Turner County | County | 2025-08-26 | wind, solar | 🟢 Extended |
| Yankton County | County | 2026-07-21 | data center, cryptocurrency mining | 🟢 Active |
Detailed entries
Aberdeen
- Type: City
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-07-20 (City Council first reading and passage, 7-0)
- Normalized date:
2026-07-20(exact) - Duration: From adoption (immediate effect) through a fixed sunset of November 18, 2026, or the effective date of a zoning ordinance amendment addressing data centers, whichever occurs first
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: data center
- Moratorium ID:
sd-aberdeen-2026 - Legal basis: Resolution No. 26-07-04R, 'A Temporary Resolution Establishing a Moratorium on Issuance of Local Permits for Data Centers Within the City of Aberdeen,' adopted 7-0 at a regular Aberdeen City Council meeting on 2026-07-20, under authority of SDCL Sec. 49-50-3 (effective 2026-07-01)
- What prompted it: City's current zoning/building regulations and staff may not adequately address data centers; council found officials 'hampered' in assessing permit applications, creating unpredictability and risk of stranded investment pending a comprehensive study
- Affected projects: None named; as of publication Aberdeen had not received a specific data center development proposal for City Council consideration.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. Resolution 26-07-04R (adopted 7-0 on July 20, 2026, published July 23, 2026) bars Aberdeen zoning and building officials from issuing any permit or license for the construction, development, or operation of a data center within city limits; any pending application is held without review or action. The resolution took immediate effect as an emergency measure under SDCL Sec. 9-19-13 and automatically expires and is repealed on November 18, 2026, or on the effective date of a zoning-ordinance amendment (Aberdeen City Code Chapter 60 - Zoning) addressing data centers, whichever is first. As of September 22, 2026, the City Attorney was still briefing the council on the timeline for that follow-on zoning ordinance, which had not yet been adopted.
- Outcome: Adopted 7-0 on first reading and passage at the July 20, 2026 regular City Council meeting; published July 23, 2026.
Pennington County
- Type: County
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2024-11-19 (Board of Commissioners unanimous vote); effective 2024-12-12; extended one additional year by unanimous vote on 2025-10-21
- Normalized date:
2024-11-19(exact) - Duration: One year from its December 12, 2024 effective date; extended unanimously on October 21, 2025 through November 18, 2026
- Current end date:
— - Sectors: wind, solar
- Moratorium ID:
sd-pennington-county-2024 - Legal basis: Pennington County Board of Commissioners temporary zoning moratorium on utility-scale wind and solar development, adopted unanimously November 19, 2024 (effective December 12, 2024); extended unanimously October 21, 2025 through November 18, 2026, while an alternative-energy task force and the Planning Commission draft amendments to zoning ordinance Section 3-17 (renewable energy systems)
- What prompted it: More than 450 citizens petitioned for a moratorium after the Planning and Zoning Commission approved conditional-use permits (2024-10-28) for the Cheyenne River Ranch Wind and Solar Farm near New Underwood
- Affected projects: Cheyenne River Ranch Wind and Solar Farm (7 miles south of New Underwood, 30 miles southeast of Rapid City), which received conditional-use permit approval October 28, 2024 that triggered the petition and moratorium.
- Detailed status: Active as of 2026-09-23. Pennington County's temporary zoning moratorium on utility-scale wind and solar development (enacted unanimously November 19, 2024, effective December 12, 2024, after 450+ citizens petitioned against the Cheyenne River Ranch Wind and Solar Farm's conditional-use permits) was extended unanimously by the Board of Commissioners on October 21, 2025 through November 18, 2026, to give an alternative-energy task force (formed March 2025) and the Planning Commission time to finish a consolidated ordinance amending zoning Section 3-17. A related but legally separate zoning-ordinance amendment permanently barring utility-scale wind and solar from agricultural (non-industrial) land passed its second and final reading 3-2 on August 18, 2026, after a multi-month back-and-forth (first reading May 19, 2026; delayed multiple times); commissioners indicated the moratorium could be lifted early once the Planning Commission's consolidated ordinance is finalized.
- Outcome: Extended by unanimous vote (moved by Commissioner Durr, seconded by Commissioner Rosknecht) at the October 21, 2025 Board of Commissioners meeting.
Turner County
- Type: County
- Status: 🟢 Extended
- Date enacted: 2025-08-26 (Turner County Board of Commissioners adopted Ordinance #100-25, a temporary zoning ordinance, 4-0 with the chairman recused, per official minutes)
- Normalized date:
2025-08-26(exact) - Duration: One (1) year (Ordinance #100-25, effective on completed publication); extended one year by Ordinance #105-26 (adopted 2026-08-25) to expire 2027-08-25
- Current end date:
2027-08-25 - Sectors: wind, solar
- Moratorium ID:
sd-turner-county-2025 - Legal basis: Ordinance #100-25, 'A Temporary Zoning Ordinance Regulating Utility-Scale Alternative Energy in All Turner County Zoning Districts' (adopted 2025-08-26); extended by Ordinance #105-26, 'A Temporary Zoning Ordinance Extending the Moratorium Regulating Utility-Scale Alternative Energy Systems in All Turner County Zoning Districts' (adopted 2026-08-25); SDCL 11-2-10, 7-18A-8
- What prompted it: Proposed Swan Lake Wind Project (NextEra Energy Resources; up to 97 GE turbines, approximately 248 MW) spanning Turner and Yankton counties; county sought time to study and regulate before the project could proceed
- Affected projects: Swan Lake Wind Project (NextEra Energy Resources), spanning Turner and Yankton counties; NextEra withdrew its application for the project in or around August 2026.
- Detailed status: Extended as of 2026-09-23; the one-year moratorium on new permits and land-use approvals for utility-scale solar and wind systems (Ordinance #100-25, adopted 2025-08-26) was extended one year by Ordinance #105-26, adopted 2026-08-25 after an 8:35 a.m. public hearing (4 ayes, chairman abstaining), and now expires 2027-08-25. NextEra withdrew its Swan Lake Wind application in August 2026.
- Outcome: —
Yankton County
- Type: County
- Status: 🟢 Active
- Date enacted: 2026-07-21 (County Commission adopted the moratorium 5-0, recorded as Action 26248C)
- Normalized date:
2026-07-21(exact) - Duration: Six months from adoption (approximately to 2027-01-21); the commission packet draft had proposed 12 months, but the adopted motion changed the term to six months
- Current end date:
2027-01-17 - Sectors: data center, cryptocurrency mining
- Moratorium ID:
sd-yankton-county-2026 - Legal basis: Yankton County Resolution No. 26-7, 'Resolution Establishing a Temporary Moratorium on the Acceptance of Applications, or Issuing of Permits, for Approval of Building, Planning or Use Permits for Data Collection/Storage/Processing or Bitcoin Mining Facilities Exceeding a Power Capacity of 250 kW,' passed and approved 5-0 on July 21, 2026
- What prompted it: Concern about incoming data center and Bitcoin mining facility proposals; commission wants time to draft permanent siting standards
- Affected projects: None named; general countywide pause on new data center and greater-than-250kW Bitcoin mining permits and applications.
- Detailed status: Active as of the July 31, 2026 research date. Blocks applications and permits for building, use, zoning, or rezoning approval of data collection, storage, or processing facilities and Bitcoin mining facilities exceeding 250 kW, for six months from the July 21, 2026 adoption. The commission separately directed the Planning and Zoning Commission to begin drafting permanent standards.
- Outcome: Enacted six-month moratorium after an initial motion for a 12-month term failed for lack of a second.
Source: moratorium_inventory.csv · Methodology · Codebook.