Washington Data Center Moratorium Tracker
Washington has 2 state-level data-center restrictions in force and 1 active pause. 3 more bills are pending. 21 city and county measures are tracked here, 20 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.
Washington
WA
In force
9
State-level measures on record, 3 in force
21
City and county measures, 20 in force
30
Primary sources cited on this page
#20
of 50 states with anything on record, by measure count
State-level measures in Washington
Every statewide moratorium, pause, siting restriction, or tax-incentive rollback in Washington we can verify against a primary source. Strongest status first.
| Measure | Status | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Order 25Washington: Governor Ferguson issued Executive Order 25-05 on February 3, 2025 creating the Data Center Workgroup, convened by the Department of Revenue | In force 2025-02 | Governor Ferguson issued Executive Order 25-05 on February 3, 2025 creating the Data Center Workgroup, convened by the Department of Revenue with 33 members from state agencies, utilities, labor, environmental groups, and industry. The workgroup delivered its preliminary report on December 1, 2025, recommending data centers comply with Washington's 2045 emissions-free electricity mandate. The Washington Legislature punted comprehensive data center legislation to 2027. The workgroup's final report is expected later in 2026 and will inform the next legislative session. | |
| ESSB 6231Rolling back data-center tax exemptions | In force 2026-04 | Ends the sales/use-tax exemption for replacement server equipment and refurbished-facility centers and sets certificate cutoff dates (urban 2028, rural 2036). Chapter 266, effective June 11, 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, protesters and local officials expressed tension over a planned $4.8 billion Amazon data center. | |
| HB 2515Clean energy procurement and cost obligations | Proposed 2026 | Would set clean energy procurement targets, place cost-shifting obligations on large-load customers, and restrict utilities' use of cap-and-invest allowances for data center customers. Introduced; pending. | |
| HB 2708Removing a tax exemption for the replacement of equipment for data centers. | Proposed 2026-01 | Washington HB 2708 (2025-2026): Removing a tax exemption for the replacement of equipment for data centers.. Last action 2026-01-30: First reading, referred to Finance.. | |
| HB 2655Providing a retail sales and use tax exemption for the construction and equipping of new data centers located in a county east of the Cascades that borders | Proposed 2026-02 | Washington HB 2655 (2025-2026): Providing a retail sales and use tax exemption for the construction and equipping of new data centers located in a county east of the Cascades that borders another state and has a population of at lea. Last action 2026-02-06: Public hearing in the House Committee on Finance at 8:00 AM.. | |
| HB 2962Broadening the eligibility requirements and extending the expiration date for the data center tax incentive. | Failed / vetoed 2020-03 | Washington HB 2962 (2019-2020): Broadening the eligibility requirements and extending the expiration date for the data center tax incentive.. Last action 2020-03-02: Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Finance at 08:00 AM. | |
| HB 1459Broadening the eligibility requirements and extending the expiration date for the data center tax incentive. | Failed / vetoed 2022-01 | Washington HB 1459 (2021-2022): Broadening the eligibility requirements and extending the expiration date for the data center tax incentive.. Last action 2022-01-31: Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Finance at 10:00 AM. | |
| SB 5262Broadening the eligibility requirements and extending the expiration date for the data center tax incentive. | Failed / vetoed 2022-02 | Washington SB 5262 (2021-2022): Broadening the eligibility requirements and extending the expiration date for the data center tax incentive.. Last action 2022-02-17: Senate Rules "X" file.. |
City and county moratoria in Washington
Most of the movement is local, where a building pause or permit halt does not need a legislative session. 21 tracked measures in Washington, each with its source.
Burien
2026-06
Local moratorium on data centers through June 29, 2027
12-month emergency moratorium, unanimous, effective immediately. The measure runs to June 29, 2027.
Cle Elum
2026-07
Local moratorium on data centers through January 31, 2027
6-month moratorium, unanimous. Prompted by Blue Fern Development's 20 MW / 100,000 sq ft plan within Bullfrog Flats community near I-90. Site may be exempt via preexisting development agreement. The measure runs to January 31, 2027 and applies at a threshold of 20 MW.
Federal Way
2026-07
Local moratorium on data centers through July 7, 2027
12-month moratorium, unanimous. Studying impact on former Weyerhaeuser campus. Public hearing set Sep 1. The measure runs to July 7, 2027.
Kittitas County
2026-09
Moratorium on data center applications, extended to one year
Kittitas County commissioners approved a six-month extension of the county's moratorium on accepting data center applications on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, after a public hearing. Commissioners first approved an emergency six-month moratorium in August 2026; the extension makes the ban a year long. County staff presented a work plan running through September 2027 to define data centers and set review criteria.
La Conner
2026-07
City moratorium on data centers through January 29, 2027
Six-month moratorium on data center permit applications within town limits; no applications received; town reviewing whether any form of data center is appropriate. The measure runs to January 29, 2027 and covers permits.
Lincoln County
2026-09
County moratorium on data centers through March 10, 2027
Six-month moratorium on data centers and battery energy storage systems; covers facilities over 2,000 sqft or 2+ MW. The measure runs to March 10, 2027 and applies at a threshold of 2,000 sqft.
Marysville
2026-07
Local moratorium on data centers through January 14, 2027
6-month moratorium on buildings/facilities whose principal use is data management/transmission, unanimous. Mayor urged surrounding counties to follow suit. The measure runs to January 14, 2027.
Moses Lake
2026-01
City moratorium on data centers for a stated term
Moratorium on new data center development; listed by MRSC (WA state municipal research service) among cities with moratoriums. The measure has a stated duration whose end date is not recorded.
Mount Vernon
2026-08
Local moratorium on data centers through February 12, 2027
6-month moratorium, 4-1, with no data center yet proposed. Planning staff to draft rules on electricity and water demand, stormwater and building in the Skagit River floodplain. The measure runs to February 12, 2027.
Pasco
2026-07
Local moratorium on data centers through January 20, 2027
6-month moratorium, 6-0. Extendable if officials don't have satisfactory answers. Developing data-center-specific land-use regulations. The measure runs to January 20, 2027.
Pierce County
2026-08
County moratorium on data centers through August 25, 2027
Emergency ordinance prohibiting new/expanded data centers over 10 MW in unincorporated Pierce County; one year unless extended or lifted. The measure runs to August 25, 2027 and applies at a threshold of 10 MW.
Port Angeles
2026-09
Six-month data center moratorium
The City Council adopted a resolution in early September 2026 halting acceptance, processing and approval of facilities whose principal use is digital data processing, storage, management or transmission. It took effect immediately for an initial six months. No application had been filed. Staff has 60 days to produce a work plan covering public participation and analysis of electric rates, water use, industrial land, noise and environmental quality.
Renton
2026-08
Local moratorium on data centers through August 17, 2027
One-year moratorium on filing, acceptance, processing, and approval of applications/permits for siting or expansion of large data centers; unanimously approved. The measure runs to August 17, 2027.
Seattle
2026-06
Emergency one-year data center moratorium (Council Bill 121214)
The City Council unanimously adopted an emergency ordinance June 9, 2026 freezing new large data center (20 MVA+) siting for one year while it studies impacts.
Skagit County
2026-06
Six-month data center moratorium
Skagit County commissioners enacted a six-month moratorium on data centers (facilities over 2,000 sq ft or using 2 MW or more), with staff later proposing permanent rules.
Skamania County
2026-08
Six-month data center moratorium (Resolution 2026-22)
The Skamania County Board of County Commissioners unanimously adopted Resolution 2026-22 on August 18, 2026, imposing a data center moratorium of up to six months, renewable after hearings. State law requires a public hearing within 60 days of adoption.
Snohomish County
2026-06
Emergency six-month data center moratorium
Snohomish County Council unanimously adopted an emergency six-month moratorium on data centers in unincorporated areas on June 24, 2026, with an option to extend.
Spokane
2026-06
One-year data center permit moratorium
The Spokane City Council passed (6-1) a one-year emergency moratorium on June 22, 2026 on building-permit applications for new computer data centers to study land-use and utility impacts.
Spokane County
2026-08
Four-month data center moratorium
The Board of County Commissioners approved a four-month moratorium unanimously on Aug. 19, 2026, replacing an earlier nine-month proposal that had split the board 3-2, to give staff time to draft zoning rules.
Yakima County
2026-08
Local moratorium on data centers through February 12, 2027
6-month moratorium in unincorporated areas, unanimous. Studying economic, health, agricultural, and water impacts. The measure runs to February 12, 2027.
Washington County
2026-09
Washington County Statement on Temporary Moratorium for Data Centers in Washington County
The Washington County body issued a statement regarding a temporary moratorium for data centers. The statement was released on 2026-09-30.
Where Washington stands
Across the whole tracker we hold 334 state-level measures in 49 states and 1253 city and county measures, against 1419 primary sources. Washington accounts for 9 of the state-level measures and 21 of the local ones.
By total measures on record it is #20 of the 50 states and DC carrying any tracked action, and #24 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 Washington
30 citations behind the entries above. Each opens in a new tab.
- Statewide · Executive Order 25 — Washington: Governor Ferguson issued Executive Order 25-05 on February 3, 2025 creating the Data Center Workgroup, convened by the Department of Revenue governor.wa.gov →
- Statewide · ESSB 6231 — Rolling back data-center tax exemptions app.leg.wa.gov →
- Statewide — Amazon’s Walla Walla data center plan sparks tension between protesters, local officials washingtonstatestandard.com →
- Statewide · HB 2515 — Clean energy procurement and cost obligations afslaw.com →
- Statewide · HB 2708 — Removing a tax exemption for the replacement of equipment for data centers. app.leg.wa.gov →
- Statewide · HB 2655 — Providing a retail sales and use tax exemption for the construction and equipping of new data centers located in a county east of the Cascades that borders app.leg.wa.gov →
- Statewide · HB 2962 — Broadening the eligibility requirements and extending the expiration date for the data center tax incentive. apps.leg.wa.gov →
- Statewide · HB 1459 — Broadening the eligibility requirements and extending the expiration date for the data center tax incentive. apps.leg.wa.gov →
- Statewide · SB 5262 — Broadening the eligibility requirements and extending the expiration date for the data center tax incentive. apps.leg.wa.gov →
- Burien — Local moratorium on data centers through June 29, 2027 b-townblog.com →
- Cle Elum — Local moratorium on data centers through January 31, 2027 dailyrecordnews.com →
- Federal Way — Local moratorium on data centers through July 7, 2027 rentonreporter.com →
- Kittitas County — Moratorium on data center applications, extended to one year goskagit.com →
- La Conner — City moratorium on data centers through January 29, 2027 goskagit.com →
- Lincoln County — County moratorium on data centers through March 10, 2027 odessarecord.com →
- Marysville — Local moratorium on data centers through January 14, 2027 heraldnet.com →
- Moses Lake — City moratorium on data centers for a stated term mrsc.org →
- Mount Vernon — Local moratorium on data centers through February 12, 2027 cascadiadaily.com →
- Pasco — Local moratorium on data centers through January 20, 2027 datacenterdynamics.com →
- Pierce County — County moratorium on data centers through August 25, 2027 piercecountywa.gov →
- Port Angeles — Six-month data center moratorium peninsuladailynews.com →
- Renton — Local moratorium on data centers through August 17, 2027 rentonreporter.com →
- Seattle — Emergency one-year data center moratorium (Council Bill 121214) council.seattle.gov →
- Skagit County — Six-month data center moratorium chronline.com →
- Skamania County — Six-month data center moratorium (Resolution 2026-22) skamania-dispatch.ghost.io →
- Snohomish County — Emergency six-month data center moratorium heraldnet.com →
- Spokane — One-year data center permit moratorium my.spokanecity.org →
- Spokane County — Four-month data center moratorium rangemedia.co →
- Yakima County — Local moratorium on data centers through February 12, 2027 yakimaherald.com →
- Washington County — Washington County Statement on Temporary Moratorium for Data Centers in Washington County news.google.com →
What does bind large loads in Washington
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. Washington 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.
BPA, Puget Sound Energy, Avista, PUDs; non-RTO West.
States next door
2 of the 2 states bordering Washington 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 Washington
The US Data Center Map identifies 112 facilities run by 47 operators in Washington, each one placed from primary sources and listed by city and by operator, with the measures on this page beside them.
Open the Washington 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 Washington? 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 Washington 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 Washington site