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Arkansas Data Center Moratorium Tracker

Arkansas has 1 data-center bill pending in the legislature. 14 city and county measures are tracked here, 8 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 14 local measures 15 primary sources
Arkansas
AR
Proposed
3
State-level measures on record
14
City and county measures, 8 in force
15
Primary sources cited on this page
#30
of 50 states with anything on record, by measure count

State-level measures in Arkansas

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

MeasureStatusWhat it doesSource
HB 1444TO AMEND THE SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION FOR DATA CENTERS. Proposed 2025-04 Arkansas HB 1444 (2025): TO AMEND THE SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION FOR DATA CENTERS.. Last action 2025-04-10: Notification that HB1444 is now Act 548.
HB 1654TO PROVIDE SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR DATA CENTERS; AND TO PROVIDE A SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION FOR DATA CENTER EQUIPMENT, DATA CENTER COSTS Failed / vetoed 2023-04 Arkansas HB 1654 (2023): TO PROVIDE SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR DATA CENTERS; AND TO PROVIDE A SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION FOR DATA CENTER EQUIPMENT, DATA CENTER COSTS, CERTAIN SERVICES PROVIDED TO A DATA CENTER. Last action 2023-04-13: Notification that HB1654 is now Act 819.
HB 1476TO CREATE A SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION FOR ELECTRICITY SOLD TO A DATA CENTER; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. Failed / vetoed 2023-05 Arkansas HB 1476 (2023): TO CREATE A SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION FOR ELECTRICITY SOLD TO A DATA CENTER; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.. Last action 2023-05-01: Died in House Committee at Sine Die Adjournment.

City and county moratoria in Arkansas

Most of the movement is local, where a building pause or permit halt does not need a legislative session. 14 tracked measures in Arkansas, each with its source.

Benton County
2026-08
In force
County moratorium on data centers through February 10, 2027
Six-month moratorium. Developer NSI6 LLC / Trent Overhue challenged it in court Sep 2; ~100 people filled courtroom. Developer selected county specifically because it had no planning and zoning. County attorney argued moratorium valid because Overhue's project not yet started and land not yet owned (closing Sep 9). Judge considering temporary restraining order. The measure runs to February 10, 2027.
Carroll County
2026-06
In force
12-month data center moratorium
The Quorum Court unanimously passed a one-year moratorium blocking construction of data centers and other high-intensity digital infrastructure facilities, effective immediately.
Fayetteville
2026-06
In force
Conditional-use permit and siting rules for data centers
The City Council voted 8-0 on June 16, 2026, with an emergency clause so the rules took effect immediately, to end by-right approval of data centers. They now need a conditional-use permit from the Planning Commission, are allowed only in I-2 general industrial zones (about 2% of the city), and must sit at least 1,000 feet from residential zoning. Applicants must file a cooling system description, proof that heat stays within the property line, an energy management plan and water use projections. Not a moratorium; further amendments followed in August 2026.
Independence County
2026-08
In force
Five-year data center moratorium
The Quorum Court unanimously adopted a five-year moratorium running through Aug. 31, 2031 - the longest adopted in Arkansas - citing water supply strain. No data center had been proposed in the county.
Madison County
2026-08
In force
Three-year moratorium on data centers and digital asset mining
The Quorum Court approved an ordinance on Aug. 17, 2026 imposing a moratorium on data centers, digital asset mining businesses and other large-scale computer or server operations through Aug. 31, 2029. An emergency clause made it effective immediately. The county has no known project in development; the pause is the second longest in Arkansas after Independence County's.
North Little Rock
2026-09
In force
Conditional-use zoning rules for data center campuses
The North Little Rock City Council approved a zoning amendment on Sept. 14, 2026, effective immediately under an emergency clause, that defines data center campuses and allows them only as a conditional use in I-3 industrial zones. The rules add utility, noise and residential-proximity requirements and do not ban data centers.
Russellville
2026-07
In force
Six-month data center moratorium
City adopted a six-month pause on approving data center facilities, part of a wave of Arkansas localities outside Little Rock acting in mid-2026.
Union County
2026-06
In force
One-year data center moratorium
The county adopted a one-year moratorium on data centers in June 2026, one of several Arkansas jurisdictions outside Little Rock to pause development while regulations are drafted.
Little Rock Board of Directors (hyperscale data center moratorium measure)
2026-07
Paused
Little Rock Board of Directors (hyperscale data center moratorium measure) data center moratorium (pause)
A measure by City Directors Kathy Webb and Capi Peck to pause new hyperscale data center approvals through year-end was deferred to August 4, 2026 at the sponsors' request. As drafted, it would exempt the planned Google data center at the Port of Little Rock and only affect zoning applications in the 'hyperscale' category; the main opposition target is an AVAIO Digital project near Wrightsville in Pulaski County, alongside continued scrutiny of the Google Port project. City Director Kathy Webb (Ward 3) is formally proposing to extend the halt from 6 to 18 months and to remove the earlier carve-out for the planned Google hyperscale facility at the Port of Little Rock. The proposal would require biannual public hearings with Entergy Arkansas and the developer present. Not yet voted on.
Siloam Springs
2026-10
Proposed
First reading of data center ordinance
The Siloam Springs City Board approved the first reading of a data center ordinance on October 9, 2026, as part of exploring development proposals while weighing a potential moratorium.
City of Harrison
2023-05
Failed / vetoed
City of Harrison data center moratorium (failed)
Harrison passed a moratorium on data centers and crypto mining on May 25, 2023 after hundreds of residents objected to a Green Digital LLC crypto facility (a subsidiary with Chinese Communist Party ownership ties). The moratorium was actively removed on Nov 28, 2023 (~6 months in) after Arkansas Act 851 ("Right to Mine" law) preempted local regulation of crypto mining. The project involves 5 acres.
Little Rock
2026-06
Failed / vetoed
Data center moratorium (failed)
The city board repeatedly failed to pass a data center moratorium after May 2026 and adopted regulations in June 2026 instead of a pause.
Pulaski County
2026-08
Failed / vetoed
Data center moratorium (failed)
Multiple moratorium attempts failed in Arkansas' most populous county; the Quorum Court instead advanced a regulatory ordinance classifying large-scale data centers as heavy industrial.
Pulaski County Quorum Court (data center moratorium ordinance, failed on clerk miscount), AR
2026-05
Failed / vetoed
Pulaski County Quorum Court (data center moratorium ordinance, failed on clerk miscount), AR data center moratorium (failed)
The Pulaski County Quorum Court appeared to pass a one-year data center moratorium on May 26, 2026 (with an exemption carved out for AVAIO Digital's planned Wrightsville project), but on May 28 the county clerk announced she had miscounted, per Arkansas Advocate's review of the roll call, the tally was 8 yes / 6 no / 1 present (other outlets' recounts differ -- see flags), short of the 10 of 15 votes needed. The ordinance is expected to return at the June meeting. Pulaski is Arkansas's most populous county. The 12-month moratorium fell short of the 10 votes needed (8-6, 1 present); officials initially mis-reported it as passed, then corrected the next day. A new ordinance removing the AVAIO carve-out (sponsors JPs Ward, Blackwood, Davis) is set for an agenda meeting June 9 and a Quorum Court vote June 23. A moratorium re-vote is pending 2026-07-14 (after this refresh window), with a carve-out for AVAIO Digital's Wrightsville project.

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Where Arkansas stands

Across the whole tracker we hold 334 state-level measures in 49 states and 1253 city and county measures, against 1419 primary sources. Arkansas accounts for 3 of the state-level measures and 14 of the local ones.

By total measures on record it is #30 of the 50 states and DC carrying any tracked action, and #29 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 Arkansas

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

  • Statewide · HB 1444 — TO AMEND THE SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION FOR DATA CENTERS. (Proposed, 2025-04) arkleg.state.ar.us →
  • Statewide · HB 1654 — TO PROVIDE SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTIONS FOR DATA CENTERS; AND TO PROVIDE A SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION FOR DATA CENTER EQUIPMENT, DATA CENTER COSTS (Failed / vetoed, 2023-04) arkleg.state.ar.us →
  • Statewide · HB 1476 — TO CREATE A SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION FOR ELECTRICITY SOLD TO A DATA CENTER; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. (Failed / vetoed, 2023-05) arkleg.state.ar.us →
  • Benton County — County moratorium on data centers through February 10, 2027 (In force, 2026-08) ky3.com →
  • Carroll County — 12-month data center moratorium (In force, 2026-06) ky3.com →
  • Fayetteville — Conditional-use permit and siting rules for data centers (In force, 2026-06) arkansasonline.com →
  • Independence County — Five-year data center moratorium (In force, 2026-08) whiterivernow.com →
  • Madison County — Three-year moratorium on data centers and digital asset mining (In force, 2026-08) nwahomepage.com →
  • North Little Rock — Conditional-use zoning rules for data center campuses (In force, 2026-09) katv.com →
  • Russellville — Six-month data center moratorium (In force, 2026-07) arkansasadvocate.com →
  • Union County and 2 other localities — 3 separate measures, cited together (Mixed status, 2026-06 to 2026-08) ualrpublicradio.org →
  • Little Rock Board of Directors (hyperscale data center moratorium measure) — Little Rock Board of Directors (hyperscale data center moratorium measure) data center moratorium (pause) (Paused, 2026-07) arkansasonline.com →
  • Siloam Springs — First reading of data center ordinance (Proposed, 2026-10) arkansasonline.com →
  • City of Harrison — City of Harrison data center moratorium (failed) (Failed / vetoed, 2023-05) harrisondaily.com →
  • Pulaski County Quorum Court (data center moratorium ordinance, failed on clerk miscount), AR — Pulaski County Quorum Court (data center moratorium ordinance, failed on clerk miscount), AR data center moratorium (failed) (Failed / vetoed, 2026-05) arkansasadvocate.com →

See all 1419 sources across every state →

What does bind large loads in Arkansas

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. Arkansas sits in 2 footprints.

MISODominant
Faster parallel studies and a co-located generation fast track, not a pause.
SPP
Speed in exchange for curtailability under the approved HILL framework.

Entergy Arkansas in MISO (integration completed Dec 2013); SWEPCO and OG&E territory in western AR is SPP.

See the full Data Center Grid Operator Watchlist →

States next door

6 of the 6 states bordering Arkansas 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.

Tennessee 42 Texas 38 Missouri 24 Oklahoma 19 Louisiana 6 Mississippi 5

Data centers in Arkansas

The US Data Center Map identifies 13 facilities run by 7 operators in Arkansas, each one placed from primary sources and listed by city and by operator, with the measures on this page beside them.

Open the Arkansas 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 Arkansas? 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 Arkansas 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 Arkansas site