SAVRN
Search Contact SAVRN

Alabama Data Center Moratorium Tracker

Alabama has 1 state-level data-center restriction in force. 1 more bill is pending. 18 city and county measures are tracked here, 17 of them in force. Every entry below links to its primary source: a legislature page, a governor's office, a local government, or the reporting of record.

Last updated October 2026 3 state-level measures 18 local measures 21 primary sources
Alabama
AL
In force
3
State-level measures on record, 1 in force
18
City and county measures, 17 in force
21
Primary sources cited on this page
#28
of 50 states with anything on record, by measure count

State-level measures in Alabama

Every statewide moratorium, pause, siting restriction, or tax-incentive rollback in Alabama we can verify against a primary source. Strongest status first.

MeasureStatusWhat it doesSource
HB 399Alabama HB 399, sponsored by Rep. Hulsey (R-Helena), is the House companion to SB 265. In force 2026-02 Alabama HB 399, sponsored by Rep. Hulsey (R-Helena), is the House companion to SB 265. Limits tax abatements for data center projects over $200M to 20 years, down from the current 30-year maximum. Requires data centers consuming 100+ MW to pay state sales and use taxes allocated to the General Fund, effective January 1, 2027. Passed House 103-0; Senate unanimously passed amended version (April 9, 2026); House concurred and bill was sent to Gov. Ivey's desk. Gov. Ivey publicly supports the legislation as part of a package to lower costs for families.
SB 270PSC review of large-load data center contracts Proposed 2026 Would require the Public Service Commission to ensure that utility contracts with data centers of 150 MW or more provide for cost recovery and demonstrable ratepayer benefit. Introduced; pending.
SB 354Alabama: In Alabama, SB 354 would impose a one-year moratorium on construction of new large-scale solar power facilities, Prompted by opposition Failed / vetoed 2026-03 In Alabama, SB 354 would impose a one-year moratorium on construction of new large-scale solar power facilities, Prompted by opposition to a 4,500-acre solar project in Stockton meant to power Meta's Montgomery data center expansion. Exempts TVA solar capacity and projects already under construction. Opposition was led by Stockton Area Residents Against Solar. Key concerns driving this action include environmental impacts and loss of farmland. The outcome remains pending. SB 354 passed the Alabama Senate 27-4 but died on a procedural transmission deadline in early April.

City and county moratoria in Alabama

Most of the movement is local, where a building pause or permit halt does not need a legislative session. 18 tracked measures in Alabama, each with its source.

Anniston
2026-08
In force
Twelve-month moratorium on data center permitting and licensing
The City Council adopted Resolution No. 26-R-97 on Aug. 18, 2026, effective immediately, directing the city to withhold permits, approvals and licenses for the location, development, expansion or operation of a data center within its regulatory jurisdiction. The pause runs 12 months and may be shortened or extended; the planning commission is to report recommendations within six months on utility demand, cooling, stormwater, transportation and separation from residential areas.
Birmingham
2026-03
In force
Six-month pause on large data center applications
The City Council voted on March 3, 2026 for a six-month moratorium on new or expanding data centers drawing more than 20 MW. In June 2026 the council passed a zoning ordinance, on a 6-3 vote, setting conditions for hyperscale facilities that takes effect when the moratorium lifts.
Chelsea
2026-07
In force
One-year moratorium on data center licenses and permits
The City Council voted unanimously on July 21, 2026 for a one-year moratorium on new business licenses and construction permits for data centers, paired with a parallel moratorium on residential rental developments. Council Vice President Chris Gace said the city's zoning ordinance does not adequately address the use and that no project had been proposed.
Cullman
2026-06
In force
One-year data center moratorium
City Council voted unanimously to approve a one-year moratorium on new data centers, becoming the fourth Alabama city (after Birmingham, Leeds, Homewood) to pause development.
Fairfield
2026-07
In force
Local moratorium on data centers
Temporary moratorium after resident pressure over Patmos (Missouri AI co.) proposal to convert former Walmart to colocation data center. Duration not specified. The measure has no documented term.
Foley
2026-09
In force
Six-month moratorium on data center applications
The City Council approved the final reading of an ordinance on Sept. 8, 2026 establishing a six-month moratorium on accepting, processing, approving or considering applications for data centers, Bitcoin and cryptocurrency mining facilities, server farms and similar uses. Mayor Ralph Hellmich said no data center has been proposed in the Foley area and the pause lets the city review its zoning and environmental regulations.
Fort Payne
2026-09
In force
Data center moratorium followed by conditional-use ordinance
Fort Payne paused data center development in 2026 and then, on Sept. 2, 2026, approved an ordinance reclassifying data centers as a conditional use, so each project must go through planning commission review and a public hearing rather than being permitted by right.
Harpersville
2026-08
In force
Six-month data center moratorium
The Town Council adopted a six-month moratorium on Aug. 3, 2026 even though no developer had approached the town, giving the council, the planning and zoning board and the water board time to study economic and infrastructure effects. The planning and zoning board had recommended a longer pause. The town is holding monthly public information sessions during the moratorium.
Helena
2026-06
In force
180-day development moratorium that includes data centers
Helena adopted a 180-day development moratorium in June 2026 that restricts new gas stations, automotive businesses, dealerships and data centers. On September 14, 2026 the City Council voted 3-1 to amend it for two projects already in process, leaving the data center restriction in place.
Homewood
2026-06
In force
Twelve-month moratorium on new data center applications
The City Council approved a 12-month moratorium on new data center development applications on June 22, 2026, with an option to extend it a further six months. No applications were pending. City staff and the Planning Commission are to study whether zoning, operational, buffering or infrastructure standards should be adopted first.
Leeds
2026-06
In force
One-year moratorium on data center development
Ordinance 2026-06-02, adopted unanimously on June 8, 2026, pauses acceptance, processing and approval of applications for new data centers or expansions of existing facilities for one year. The council cited energy and water consumption, cooling and generator noise, and compatibility with surrounding land uses. No project was pending at adoption.
Lowndes County
2026-08
In force
County moratorium on data centers through October 25, 2026
County commissioners unanimously approved 60-day moratorium on data center permits; response to proposed 1,050-acre "Project Red Clay" hyperscale data center; county lacks formal zoning authority, legal standing uncertain. The measure runs to October 25, 2026.
Pinson
2026-08
In force
One-year moratorium on data centers
The City Council approved a 12-month moratorium at its first meeting of August 2026, following a first reading on July 16. No data center had been proposed in Pinson; Mayor Hoyt Sanders said the pause gives the council time to research zoning and confirm that infrastructure costs would fall on applicants rather than homeowners.
Prichard
2026-01
In force
Local moratorium on data centers through February 4, 2027
City Council approved a six-month moratorium on data centers, days after a building permit was issued to Edged Energy for a $93 million data center on July 30. The timing created a legal dispute over whether the Edged project is grandfathered. The measure runs to February 4, 2027.
Springville
2026-07
In force
Moratorium on data centers
The City Council placed a moratorium on data centers at its July 6, 2026 meeting, joining nearby Leeds. Council members questioned the employment case for the facilities while the city reviews its zoning rules.
Tarrant
2026-09
In force
City moratorium on data centers through September 8, 2027
12-month moratorium on data center business licenses; Mayor Tracie Threadford cited caution while city conducts feasibility study. The measure runs to September 8, 2027.
Westover
2026-08
In force
Six-month moratorium on data centers
The City Council voted unanimously on Aug. 18, 2026 for a six-month moratorium on data centers after residents objected to a proposed campus on more than 450 acres along Highway 280. Mayor Bobby Pardue said the pause gives the city time to change its rules; the Planning Commission is reviewing zoning and development standards.
Northport
2026-09
Failed / vetoed
Data center moratorium not pursued
At a September 21, 2026 work session, Northport city leaders declined to pursue a data center moratorium and instead directed staff to recommend zoning provisions for where a data center could be located. No formal moratorium vote was reported.

Would you like the weekly update?

Every week we re-verify every state and local measure on this map and publish what changed. You get one email when it goes out.

Also send me

Receive a short introduction on days 3, 7 and 14, plus the updates you select. Unsubscribe in one click. Privacy ·

You're on the list. The next weekly update will land in your inbox when it publishes.
You are subscribed. Read the latest tracker

Where Alabama stands

Across the whole tracker we hold 334 state-level measures in 49 states and 1253 city and county measures, against 1419 primary sources. Alabama accounts for 3 of the state-level measures and 18 of the local ones.

By total measures on record it is #28 of the 50 states and DC carrying any tracked action, and #26 by city and county measures alone. Ranking is by count of sourced entries in this dataset, so it measures documented activity, not the size of the buildout.

Sources for Alabama

21 citations behind the entries above. Each opens in a new tab.

  • Statewide · HB 399 — Alabama HB 399, sponsored by Rep. Hulsey (R-Helena), is the House companion to SB 265. (In force, 2026-02) legiscan.com →
  • Statewide · SB 270 — PSC review of large-load data center contracts (Proposed, 2026) afslaw.com →
  • Statewide · SB 354 — Alabama: In Alabama, SB 354 would impose a one-year moratorium on construction of new large-scale solar power facilities, Prompted by opposition (Failed / vetoed, 2026-03) alreporter.com →
  • Anniston — Twelve-month moratorium on data center permitting and licensing (In force, 2026-08) wbrc.com →
  • Birmingham — Six-month pause on large data center applications (In force, 2026-03) birminghamwatch.org →
  • Chelsea — One-year moratorium on data center licenses and permits (In force, 2026-07) 280living.com →
  • Cullman — One-year data center moratorium (In force, 2026-06) yellowhammernews.com →
  • Fairfield — Local moratorium on data centers (In force, 2026-07) thecooldown.com →
  • Foley — Six-month moratorium on data center applications (In force, 2026-09) utv44.com →
  • Fort Payne — Data center moratorium followed by conditional-use ordinance (In force, 2026-09) waff.com →
  • Harpersville — Six-month data center moratorium (In force, 2026-08) abc3340.com →
  • Helena — 180-day development moratorium that includes data centers (In force, 2026-06) abc3340.com →
  • Homewood — Twelve-month moratorium on new data center applications (In force, 2026-06) wbrc.com →
  • Leeds — One-year moratorium on data center development (In force, 2026-06) wbrc.com →
  • Lowndes County — County moratorium on data centers through October 25, 2026 (In force, 2026-08) x.com →
  • Pinson — One-year moratorium on data centers (In force, 2026-08) trussvilletribune.com →
  • Prichard — Local moratorium on data centers through February 4, 2027 (In force, 2026-01) utv44.com →
  • Springville — Moratorium on data centers (In force, 2026-07) newsaegis.com →
  • Tarrant — City moratorium on data centers through September 8, 2027 (In force, 2026-09) abc3340.com →
  • Westover — Six-month moratorium on data centers (In force, 2026-08) wbrc.com →
  • Northport — Data center moratorium not pursued (Failed / vetoed, 2026-09) abc3340.com →

See all 1419 sources across every state →

What does bind large loads in Alabama

A moratorium is only one way a data center gets stopped. The grid operator decides whether it can connect at all, and on what terms. Alabama sits in 1 footprint.

Non-RTO utility territoryDominant
No RTO or ISO market here. Interconnection terms, study queues and curtailment rights for a large load are set by the individual utility and its state commission.

Vertically integrated Southeast: Alabama Power (Southern Co) most of state; TVA serves north Alabama. No RTO territory.

See the full Data Center Grid Operator Watchlist →

States next door

4 of the 4 states bordering Alabama have at least one data-center measure on record. Restrictions tend to travel between neighbors, so this is usually where the next one comes from.

Georgia 71 Florida 50 Tennessee 42 Mississippi 5

Data centers in Alabama

The US Data Center Map identifies 32 facilities run by 14 operators in Alabama, each one placed from primary sources and listed by city and by operator, with the measures on this page beside them.

Open the Alabama data center map → · The US Data Center Map →

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington, DC West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

How to read this page

In force = a moratorium, siting restriction, or tax-incentive rollback that is currently enacted, by statute or executive order. Paused = a temporary hold on new incentives or applications. Proposed = introduced and still pending. Failed / vetoed = died in committee, was voted down, or was vetoed.

This page is generated from the same primary-sourced dataset as the national U.S. Data Center Moratorium Tracker and is re-checked on the same weekly cycle, whether or not anything changed. Legislative status changes quickly; it is informational, not legal advice. Spot something out of date in Alabama? Tell us.

Companion references: the Data Center Grid Operator Watchlist for the interconnection and curtailment rules that bind here, the Data Center Water Tracker for water mandates, and the Data Center Delay Watchlist for named projects.

Why Alabama is pushing back

The objections repeat from state to state: strain on the electric grid, water drawn for cooling, and the sense that a facility takes local resources without giving much back. SAVRN builds AI factories designed around those three objections: on-site power that does not lean on the public grid, direct-to-chip cooling that does not consume municipal water, and a training institute that puts local people to work inside the building.

See how a SAVRN factory works Talk to us about a Alabama site