Massachusetts Data Center Moratorium Tracker
Massachusetts has 2 state-level data-center restrictions in force and 1 active pause. 17 city and county measures are tracked here, 10 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.
Massachusetts
MA
In force
5
State-level measures on record, 3 in force
17
City and county measures, 10 in force
20
Primary sources cited on this page
#27
of 50 states with anything on record, by measure count
State-level measures in Massachusetts
Every statewide moratorium, pause, siting restriction, or tax-incentive rollback in Massachusetts we can verify against a primary source. Strongest status first.
| Measure | Status | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Order No. 658Local approval and clean energy requirements for data centers | In force 2026-09 | Signed by Gov. Maura Healey on Sept. 8, 2026. State permitting agencies may not permit data centers above 25 MW of peak demand, or expansions adding 25 MW, unless the applicant shows it meets the administration's June 2026 Statement of Expectations and has a community benefits agreement with the host municipality. Data centers must bring their own clean energy or pay into a new Ratepayer Protection Fund through a mechanism MassDEP is directed to set by the end of 2026, and state permitting agencies may no longer sign nondisclosure agreements with data center projects. | |
| Executive OrderHealey's New Data Center Rules | In force 2026-09 | Governor Maura Healey issued an executive order restricting data centers in Massachusetts. The order is expected to halt data center growth in the state before it begins. | |
| Administrative hold (June 2026)Hold on data center sales and use tax exemption applications | Paused 2026-06 | Gov. Maura Healey announced in late June 2026 that the state will not accept applications for the 20-year sales and use tax exemption for qualified data centers until strong protections against higher gas and electric bills are in place. The administration said it had received no applications since final regulations launched the exemption the month before, and it released a framework expecting data centers to bring their own clean energy and avoid shifting costs to other customers. | |
| Massachusetts House (rejects Rep. Pease budget amendment for data center impact study commission)Massachusetts House rejected without debate a Republican budget amendment (Rep. Kelly Pease) that would have created a commission to study data centers' | Failed / vetoed 2026-05 | Massachusetts House rejected without debate a Republican budget amendment (Rep. Kelly Pease) that would have created a commission to study data centers' impacts. State House News Service panel on May 7 highlighted the partisan split; Gov. Healey has refused to back a Maine-style ban. | |
| Senate amendmentProposed one-year data-center moratorium | Failed / vetoed 2026-07 | Sen. Michael Moore's amendment to the Senate economic-development package proposed a one-year moratorium on new data centers. It won 13 co-sponsors but was withdrawn after leadership opposition. |
City and county moratoria in Massachusetts
Most of the movement is local, where a building pause or permit halt does not need a legislative session. 17 tracked measures in Massachusetts, each with its source.
Agawam
2026-08
City moratorium on data centers through June 3, 2027
City Council unanimously approved 270-day moratorium on data centers. Sponsored by Mayor Christopher Johnson and Council President Anthony Russo. Also unanimously approved first reading of a permanent citywide prohibition on same date. Runs through Jun 3, 2027. The measure runs to June 3, 2027.
City of Westfield (1-year data center moratorium, final vote)
2026-07
City of Westfield (1-year data center moratorium, final vote) data center moratorium
Westfield City Council unanimously passed a 1-year moratorium on new data center construction/permitting after standing-room-only public comment; this was the second of two required votes (first vote 2026-06-18). Servistar Realty LLC's already-Planning-Board-approved project (10 buildings, 18-42 MW projected load) may be exempted/grandfathered from the new moratorium since it predates the ordinance. Ties to Gov. Healey's late-June announcement of new state tax-break standards for data centers (air/noise/water limits, no local rate spikes); Healey had previously backed a ~$30M/yr tax exemption for the Servistar project. Reporting identifies Servistar co-owner as Paul Corey and cites a $4B, 10-building, 274MW campus figure for the already-approved project, which is unaffected by the moratorium.
Greenfield
2026-09
Greenfield one-year data center moratorium
On September 17, 2026, the Greenfield City Council voted unanimously to adopt a one-year moratorium on data centers, following a 4-1 recommendation from the Planning Board and a 4-0 recommendation from the Economic Development Committee. The Planning Board will use the period to review zoning and study impacts on infrastructure, public safety and natural resources. The council may extend the moratorium by 180 days if recommendations are not complete within the year.
Holyoke
2026-06
City moratorium on data centers with no end date
City Council voted 9-4 to ban data centers from every zoning district. Mayor Joshua Garcia signed Jun 18. Exempts existing Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (capped at 12 MW). First permanent data center ban in Massachusetts. Triggered by proposed $200M data center on Water Street; ~430 residents signed petition opposing. The measure has no end date by design and applies at a threshold of 12 MW.
Leominster
2026-09
Data center moratorium through July 31, 2027
The Leominster City Council scheduled a September 2026 public hearing on petitions to pause data centers and battery storage. On Monday, Sept. 28, 2026 the council voted 8-0 on each measure, establishing moratoriums on data centers and battery storage systems until July 31, 2027.
Lowell
2026-03
360-day data center moratorium
City Council voted 10-0 on March 10, 2026 for a 360-day moratorium on new data center construction, the first such measure in Massachusetts.
Mansfield
2026-05
Zoning bylaw barring data centers above 2 MW
Annual Town Meeting approved Article 23 on May 5, 2026, a zoning bylaw that allows only data centers of up to 2 MW, by Planning Board special permit in certain industrial and planned business districts, and bars facilities above 2 MW anywhere in town. It was the first data center zoning bylaw adopted by a Massachusetts town. No data center had been proposed in Mansfield.
Salem
2026-09
Data center permit revocation upheld; citywide ban proposed
On Sep 16, 2026 the Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to reject Prime Group Holding's appeal of the city's revocation of a permit for a 12,000-square-foot building at the Shetland Park office complex that the city classified as a data center. Mayor Dominick Pangallo has separately filed a zoning ordinance that would prohibit data center construction citywide; the City Council has not yet approved it.
Shutesbury
2025-09
Shutesbury data center moratorium
Shutesbury Special Town Meeting approved a 9-month moratorium bylaw on data centers on September 30, 2025. Planning Board voted 6-1 to bring it forward after a potential company expressed interest. Shutesbury is among Franklin County, MA towns being evaluated in a data center feasibility study. Massachusetts opposition to data centers has grown statewide in 2026, with Lowell passing a yearlong moratorium and Everett residents pushing for one. However, Gov. Maura Healey has come out in support of data centers (unlike Maine's Mills), creating tension with grassroots opposition. As of early 2026, no formal data center proposal has been filed in Shutesbury.
Westfield
2026-07
City moratorium on data centers through July 6, 2027
City Council voted unanimously on final reading for a 365-day moratorium on data center permitting and construction. First reading passed unanimously Jun 18 after 100+ residents packed council chambers. Triggered by proposed $4B Servistar Realties campus (274 MW, 10 buildings). Mayor Michael McCabe signed. The measure runs to July 6, 2027 and applies at a threshold of 274 MW.
Ayer (Middlesex County)
2026-09
Proposed temporary moratorium on data center applications
Ayer's town planner presented a proposed data center moratorium zoning bylaw to the Select Board on Sept. 15, 2026 for the Fall Special Town Meeting on Oct. 26, 2026. The claimed Sept. 22 date was not found in official records.
Boston
2026-09
Proposed citywide zoning ban on data centers
City Councilor Miniard Culpepper proposed a zoning code amendment in September 2026 that would define data centers and prohibit new facilities citywide, with exceptions for institutional and business server rooms. The change requires Boston Zoning Commission approval.
Northampton
2026-10
Proposed city moratorium on data centers
Council President Rachel Maiore presented a 365-day data center moratorium ordinance, with an optional 180-day extension, to the Northampton City Council on September 3, 2026. As of October 2, 2026 the council had not voted on it; a public hearing before the Planning Board and the council's Legislative Matters Committee is scheduled for October 29, 2026. The city is also seating a Data Center Select Committee to study impacts.
Plymouth
2026-08
Proposed town moratorium on data centers
Select Board voted unanimously to recommend a one-year zoning moratorium on standalone commercial data centers for the Fall Town Meeting (Article 16, Oct 17 2026, Oct 16 2027). Exempts ancillary data storage. Planning Board to study grid capacity, water, noise. The measure has no documented term.
Southbridge
2026-08
Proposed town moratorium on data centers
Town Council voted unanimously to refer a proposed 12-month moratorium on data center permitting, construction and major expansion to its Planning Board. Includes possibility of two additional 180-day extensions. No project pending; preemptive. The measure has no documented term.
Spencer
2026-09
Proposed data center moratorium
The Select Board voted unanimously in September 2026 to ask the Planning Board to pursue a 12-month data center moratorium and zoning rules, with the aim of bringing it to the fall Town Meeting.
Wilmington
2026-09
Wilmington proposed zoning bylaw prohibiting data centers over 2 MW
The Wilmington Planning Board has drafted a zoning bylaw that would prohibit data centers drawing more than 2 megawatts anywhere in town. Facilities at or below 2 MW would be allowed only in highway industrial or general industrial zones by special permit, renewable every five years. A public hearing is scheduled for September 29, 2026.
Where Massachusetts stands
Across the whole tracker we hold 334 state-level measures in 49 states and 1253 city and county measures, against 1419 primary sources. Massachusetts accounts for 5 of the state-level measures and 17 of the local ones.
By total measures on record it is #27 of the 50 states and DC carrying any tracked action, and #27 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 Massachusetts
20 citations behind the entries above. Each opens in a new tab.
- Statewide · Executive Order No. 658 — Local approval and clean energy requirements for data centers mass.gov →
- Statewide · Executive Order — Healey's New Data Center Rules bisnow.com →
- Statewide · Administrative hold (June 2026) — Hold on data center sales and use tax exemption applications wbur.org →
- Statewide · Massachusetts House (rejects Rep. Pease budget amendment for data center impact study commission) — Massachusetts House rejected without debate a Republican budget amendment (Rep. Kelly Pease) that would have created a commission to study data centers' agencychecklists.com →
- Statewide · Senate amendment — Proposed one-year data-center moratorium commonwealthbeacon.org →
- Agawam — City moratorium on data centers through June 3, 2027 thereminder.com →
- City of Westfield (1-year data center moratorium, final vote) and 1 other locality — 2 separate measures, cited together westernmassnews.com →
- Greenfield — Greenfield one-year data center moratorium recorder.com →
- Holyoke — City moratorium on data centers with no end date westernmassnews.com →
- Leominster — Data center moratorium through July 31, 2027 yahoo.com →
- Lowell — 360-day data center moratorium lowellma.gov →
- Mansfield — Zoning bylaw barring data centers above 2 MW boston.com →
- Salem — Data center permit revocation upheld; citywide ban proposed wgbh.org →
- Shutesbury — Shutesbury data center moratorium recorder.com →
- Ayer (Middlesex County) — Proposed temporary moratorium on data center applications ayer.ma.us →
- Boston — Proposed citywide zoning ban on data centers wbur.org →
- Northampton — Proposed city moratorium on data centers thereminder.com →
- Plymouth — Proposed town moratorium on data centers southshore.news →
- Southbridge and 1 other locality — 2 separate measures, cited together thecitizenchronicle.substack.com →
- Wilmington — Wilmington proposed zoning bylaw prohibiting data centers over 2 MW hoodline.com →
What does bind large loads in Massachusetts
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. Massachusetts sits in 1 footprint.
ISO-NEDominant
Little growth yet; proposing bring-your-own-generation for new large loads.
Entire state in ISO-NE.
States next door
5 of the 5 states bordering Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts
The US Data Center Map identifies 53 facilities run by 32 operators in Massachusetts, each one placed from primary sources and listed by city and by operator, with the measures on this page beside them.
Open the Massachusetts data center map → · The US Data Center Map →
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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 Massachusetts? 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 Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts site