Snohomish County Data Center Moratorium hearing set for August 19
Snohomish County Council has scheduled a public hearing for August 19 to discuss an emergency moratorium on new data center development in unincorporated areas. The moratorium, adopted on June 24, pauses all applications for six months to allow the county to develop a long-term data center policy. Concerns cited include land use, infrastructure, energy, water demand, and environmental impacts.
The Snohomish County Council is holding a public hearing on August 19, 2026, to allow public testimony on an emergency moratorium enacted on June 24. This moratorium temporarily halts new data center developments in unincorporated areas of Snohomish County for six months.
Sponsored by Councilman Nate Nehring, Ordinance 26-026 aims to provide the county time to deliberate on a long-term data center policy without new facilities being established. The measure defines data centers as facilities with planned electrical loads of 2 megawatts or greater, requiring significant power, cooling, and backup infrastructure. Councilman Strom Peterson noted that no data centers are currently planned, offering an opportunity to create a comprehensive framework addressing labor and environmental concerns.
The ordinance highlights concerns about data centers' impact on land use, energy and water demand, noise, and environmental strain. It references that a 10 MW facility uses roughly 87-88 GWh per year, equivalent to the annual consumption of about 7,800-8,000 average homes in Snohomish County. The article also contrasts traditional data center impacts with potential energy efficiencies offered by future biocomputing technologies.
The moratorium is set to expire on December 25 unless renewed. The upcoming hearing is for public input on the already adopted measure, not a vote on its imposition.