Idaho Data Center Moratorium Tracker
Idaho has 2 state-level data-center restrictions in force and 1 active pause. 2 more bills are pending. 5 city and county measures are tracked here, 4 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.
State-level measures in Idaho
Every statewide moratorium, pause, siting restriction, or tax-incentive rollback in Idaho we can verify against a primary source. Strongest status first.
| Measure | Status | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| H 521TAXATION, Adds to and amends existing law to provide a sales and use tax exemption for the purchase or use of eligible server equipment and new data center | In force 2020-03 | Idaho H 521 (2020): TAXATION, Adds to and amends existing law to provide a sales and use tax exemption for the purchase or use of eligible server equipment and new data center facilities by a qualifying business.. Last action 2020-03-20: Reported Signed by Governor on March 30, 2020 Session Law Chapter 335 Effective: 07/01/2020. | |
| HB 895Idaho House passed HB 895 (58-10) on March 20, requiring future data centers to design cooling systems for non-consumptive water use or use water | In force 2026-03 | Idaho House passed HB 895 (58-10) on March 20, requiring future data centers to design cooling systems for non-consumptive water use or use water from a municipal/water district system. The Senate Resources & Environment Committee endorsed it with a do-pass recommendation on March 26. Separately, a bipartisan bill to sunset data center tax exemptions and reform reporting requirements failed for the second consecutive year after Micron objected. HB 895 (closed-loop/non-consumptive cooling or municipal water for data centers) was signed into law (House 58-10 on March 20; Senate do-pass), effective July 1, 2026. | |
| Amazon’s Walla Walla data center plan sparks tension between protesters, local officials | Paused 2026-10 | More than four hundred Washingtonians protested in 19 locations demanding a statewide moratorium on data centers. In Walla Walla, local officials support the planned Amazon data center while protesters oppose it. | |
| H 609TAXATION, Amends existing law to revise a sales tax exemption for data center equipment and to revise a property tax exemption for certain capital investments. | Proposed 2026-02 | Idaho H 609 (2026): TAXATION, Amends existing law to revise a sales tax exemption for data center equipment and to revise a property tax exemption for certain capital investments.. Last action 2026-02-10: Reported Printed and Referred to Revenue & Taxation. | |
| H 897TAXATION, Amends existing law to revise a sales tax exemption for data center equipment and to revise a certain property tax exemption for certain capital | Proposed 2026-04 | Idaho H 897 (2026): TAXATION, Amends existing law to revise a sales tax exemption for data center equipment and to revise a certain property tax exemption for certain capital investments.. Last action 2026-04-02: Referred to Revenue & Taxation for concurrence recommendation. | |
| HB 756Idaho HB 756 (Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen R-Idaho Falls), introduced February 2026, would prohibit the Idaho PUC from approving any new customer requiring 20+ MW | Failed / vetoed 2026-01 | Idaho HB 756 (Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen R-Idaho Falls), introduced February 2026, would prohibit the Idaho PUC from approving any new customer requiring 20+ MW of electricity from the state's three regulated power companies without a 'no harm' test proving it would not require raising rates for other customers. The test analyzes grid reliability impacts, infrastructure needs, and risks. The bill raises the large-load threshold from 10 MW to 20 MW and exempts longstanding high-power consumers (existing customers with >50 MW demand as of Jan 1, 2000, like Micron Technology). HB 756 received House State Affairs Committee approval to be introduced in late February but had not yet been scheduled for a public hearing as of late February 2026. A separate bill on data center water consumption has also advanced. HB 756 stalled in House State Affairs, but its "no-harm test" policy for new large loads was enacted into law via successor HB 911 (House 65-3, Senate 34-1, signed). | |
| H0739Idaho: Bipartisan bill H0739 would limit sales tax exemptions to data center-specific equipment (excluding construction materials), sunset the exemption | Failed / vetoed 2026-02 | Bipartisan bill H0739 would limit sales tax exemptions to data center-specific equipment (excluding construction materials), sunset the exemption in 2036, and require data centers built after March 2026 to pay power rates that fully cover utility costs (proposed by Meta / Diode Ventures). Rep. Mickelsen separately introduced a bill to prevent the Idaho PUC from approving any new customer requiring 20+ MW without proving it would not raise rates for other customers. Multiple bills addressing tax breaks, water usage reporting, and rate protection. | |
| HB 874Idaho: HB 874, introduced by Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen (R-Idaho Falls), would prevent Idaho's Public Utilities Commission from approving any new customer | Failed / vetoed 2026-02 | HB 874, introduced by Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen (R-Idaho Falls), would prevent Idaho's Public Utilities Commission from approving any new customer requiring 20+ MW of electricity without first conducting a 'no harm' test proving it would not raise rates for existing customers. The bill requires analysis of grid reliability impacts, infrastructure needs, and risks before approval. It exempts longstanding high-power operations like Micron Technology (customers exceeding 50 MW as of January 1, 2000). HB 874 stalled, but the no-harm-test policy was enacted via successor HB 911 (signed into law). |
City and county moratoria in Idaho
Most of the movement is local, where a building pause or permit halt does not need a legislative session. 5 tracked measures in Idaho, each with its source.
Where Idaho stands
Across the whole tracker we hold 334 state-level measures in 49 states and 1253 city and county measures, against 1419 primary sources. Idaho accounts for 8 of the state-level measures and 5 of the local ones.
By total measures on record it is #34 of the 50 states and DC carrying any tracked action, and #39 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 Idaho
13 citations behind the entries above. Each opens in a new tab.
- Statewide · H 521 — TAXATION, Adds to and amends existing law to provide a sales and use tax exemption for the purchase or use of eligible server equipment and new data center legislature.idaho.gov →
- Statewide · HB 895 — Idaho House passed HB 895 (58-10) on March 20, requiring future data centers to design cooling systems for non-consumptive water use or use water capitalpress.com →
- Statewide — Amazon’s Walla Walla data center plan sparks tension between protesters, local officials idahocapitalsun.com →
- Statewide · H 609 — TAXATION, Amends existing law to revise a sales tax exemption for data center equipment and to revise a property tax exemption for certain capital investments. legislature.idaho.gov →
- Statewide · H 897 — TAXATION, Amends existing law to revise a sales tax exemption for data center equipment and to revise a certain property tax exemption for certain capital legislature.idaho.gov →
- Statewide · HB 756 — Idaho HB 756 (Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen R-Idaho Falls), introduced February 2026, would prohibit the Idaho PUC from approving any new customer requiring 20+ MW legislature.idaho.gov →
- Statewide · H0739 — Idaho: Bipartisan bill H0739 would limit sales tax exemptions to data center-specific equipment (excluding construction materials), sunset the exemption legislature.idaho.gov →
- Statewide · HB 874 — Idaho: HB 874, introduced by Rep. Stephanie Mickelsen (R-Idaho Falls), would prevent Idaho's Public Utilities Commission from approving any new customer legislature.idaho.gov →
- Bannock County — County moratorium on data centers through January 26, 2027 localnews8.com →
- Blaine County — Emergency Moratorium on Data Center Development Permits mtexpress.com →
- Pocatello — City Council affirms denial of AI data center conditional use permit localnews8.com →
- Sandpoint — Proposed local moratorium on data centers bonnercountydailybee.com →
- Kootenai County — Kootenai County data center moratorium (failed) khq.com →
What does bind large loads in Idaho
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. Idaho sits in 1 footprint.
Idaho Power, Avista, PacifiCorp; non-RTO West.
States next door
6 of the 6 states bordering Idaho 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.
Data centers in Idaho
The US Data Center Map identifies 17 facilities run by 12 operators in Idaho, each one placed from primary sources and listed by city and by operator, with the measures on this page beside them.
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 Idaho? 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 Idaho 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 Idaho site