# Idaho Data Center Moratorium Tracker Source: https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/idaho Markdown alternate of the page above; the site index is https://savrn.com/llms.txt --- 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. Last updated October 2026 8 state-level measures 5 local measures 13 primary sources Idaho ID In force 8 State-level measures on record, 3 in force 5 City and county measures, 4 in force 13 Primary sources cited on this page #34 of 50 states with anything on record, by measure count ## 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. Bannock County 2026-07 In force County moratorium on data centers through January 26, 2027 180-day emergency moratorium on accepting or processing new data center permit applications in unincorporated county; does not affect Pocatello city limits; county to draft standalone data center ordinance addressing water, energy and land-use impacts. The measure runs to January 26, 2027 and covers permits. Blaine County 2026-10 In force Emergency Moratorium on Data Center Development Permits The Blaine County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a 182-day emergency moratorium on the issuance of development permits for data centers on Tuesday, October 7, 2026, citing imminent threats to public health, safety, and welfare due to environmental impacts including high water and energy consumption. Pocatello 2026-09 In force City Council affirms denial of AI data center conditional use permit The Pocatello City Council voted 3-2 on September 17, 2026 to affirm a hearing examiner's May 19, 2026 denial of a conditional use permit sought by Lex Developments for an AI data center. The motion waived the 12-month waiting period before the applicant can reapply. Sandpoint 2026-09 In force Proposed local moratorium on data centers The Sandpoint City Council approved a code amendment prohibiting large standalone data centers over 5,000 square feet at a Wednesday meeting reported September 18, 2026. The action followed council direction to staff on July 15 after data centers were found to be permitted in one of the city's three industrial zones. Kootenai County 2025-03 Failed / vetoed Kootenai County data center moratorium (failed) Kootenai County lifted its 182-day moratorium on data center building permits after adopting permanent regulations that ban data centers from being located over the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer and require developers to apply for conditional use permits with public comment opportunities. The moratorium-to-regulation pipeline is being cited as a model by other communities. ## 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](https://savrn.com/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](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker) ### 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 (In force, 2020-03) [legislature.idaho.gov →](http://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2020/legislation/H0521/) - 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 (In force, 2026-03) [capitalpress.com →](https://capitalpress.com/2026/03/30/idaho-advances-bill-on-data-center-water-consumption/) - Statewide — Amazon’s Walla Walla data center plan sparks tension between protesters, local officials (Paused, 2026-10) [idahocapitalsun.com →](https://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/10/08/repub/amazons-walla-walla-data-center-plan-sparks-tension-between-protesters-local-officials/) - 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. (Proposed, 2026-02) [legislature.idaho.gov →](https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/H0609/) - 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 (Proposed, 2026-04) [legislature.idaho.gov →](https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/H0897/) - 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 (Failed / vetoed, 2026-01) [legislature.idaho.gov →](https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/H0756/) - Statewide · H0739 — Idaho: Bipartisan bill H0739 would limit sales tax exemptions to data center-specific equipment (excluding construction materials), sunset the exemption (Failed / vetoed, 2026-02) [legislature.idaho.gov →](https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/H0739/) - 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 (Failed / vetoed, 2026-02) [legislature.idaho.gov →](https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2026/legislation/H0874/) - Bannock County — County moratorium on data centers through January 26, 2027 (In force, 2026-07) [localnews8.com →](https://localnews8.com/news/pocatello/2026/07/31/bannock-county-approves-180-day-emergency-moratorium-on-data-center-permits/) - Blaine County — Emergency Moratorium on Data Center Development Permits (In force, 2026-10) [mtexpress.com →](https://www.mtexpress.com/news/blaine_county/county-enacts-emergency-moratorium-on-data-centers/article_f6a9f3b1-88ad-40c6-b9c2-36649bedfe3f.html) - Pocatello — City Council affirms denial of AI data center conditional use permit (In force, 2026-09) [localnews8.com →](https://localnews8.com/news/2026/09/24/pocatello-city-council-votes-to-deny-conditional-use-permit-for-ai-data-center-applicant-for-a-second-time/) - Sandpoint — Proposed local moratorium on data centers (In force, 2026-09) [bonnercountydailybee.com →](https://bonnercountydailybee.com/news/2026/sep/18/council-approves-data-center-ban/) - Kootenai County — Kootenai County data center moratorium (failed) (Failed / vetoed, 2025-03) [khq.com →](https://www.khq.com/news/kootenai-county-imposes-moratorium-on-data-center-building-permits/article_f622e15a-f79e-11ef-87ed-1bd380bdd67e.html) [See all 1419 sources across every state →](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/sources) ## 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. 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. Idaho Power, Avista, PacifiCorp; non-RTO West. [See the full Data Center Grid Operator Watchlist →](https://savrn.com/data-center-grid-operator-watchlist) ## 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. [Washington 30](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/washington) [Oregon 17](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/oregon) [Nevada 13](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/nevada) [Utah 12](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/utah) [Montana 7](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/montana) [Wyoming 6](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/wyoming) ## 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. [Open the Idaho data center map →](https://savrn.com/data-center-map/idaho) · [The US Data Center Map →](https://savrn.com/data-center-map) [Alabama](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/alabama) [Alaska](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/alaska) [Arizona](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/arizona) [Arkansas](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/arkansas) [California](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/california) [Colorado](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/colorado) [Connecticut](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/connecticut) [Delaware](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/delaware) [Florida](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/florida) [Georgia](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/georgia) [Hawaii](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/hawaii) [Idaho](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/idaho) [Illinois](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/illinois) [Indiana](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/indiana) [Iowa](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/iowa) [Kansas](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/kansas) [Kentucky](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/kentucky) [Louisiana](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/louisiana) [Maine](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/maine) [Maryland](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/maryland) [Massachusetts](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/massachusetts) [Michigan](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/michigan) [Minnesota](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/minnesota) [Mississippi](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/mississippi) [Missouri](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/missouri) [Montana](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/montana) [Nebraska](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/nebraska) [Nevada](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/nevada) [New Hampshire](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/new-hampshire) [New Jersey](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/new-jersey) [New Mexico](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/new-mexico) [New York](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/new-york) [North Carolina](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/north-carolina) [North Dakota](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/north-dakota) [Ohio](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/ohio) [Oklahoma](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/oklahoma) [Oregon](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/oregon) [Pennsylvania](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/pennsylvania) [Rhode Island](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/rhode-island) [South Carolina](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/south-carolina) [South Dakota](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/south-dakota) [Tennessee](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/tennessee) [Texas](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/texas) [Utah](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/utah) [Vermont](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/vermont) [Virginia](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/virginia) [Washington](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/washington) [Washington, DC](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/washington-dc) [West Virginia](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/west-virginia) [Wisconsin](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/wisconsin) [Wyoming](https://savrn.com/data-center-moratorium-tracker/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](https://savrn.com/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](https://savrn.com/contact). Companion references: the [Data Center Grid Operator Watchlist](https://savrn.com/data-center-grid-operator-watchlist) for the interconnection and curtailment rules that bind here, the [Data Center Water Tracker](https://savrn.com/data-center-water-tracker) for water mandates, and the [Data Center Delay Watchlist](https://savrn.com/data-center-delay-tracker) 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](https://savrn.com/system) [Talk to us about a Idaho site](https://savrn.com/engage)