Madison mayor to propose one-year moratorium on data center construction
News ClipIsthmus·Madison, Waukesha County, WI·12/9/2025
The Madison mayor and city council are proposing a one-year moratorium on new data center construction in the city. The goal is to allow time to update the city's zoning code to address concerns over the high energy and water usage of large data centers. Data centers have faced growing backlash in the Midwest due to their environmental impacts, and Wisconsin lacks state-level regulations on their development. Large, single-story data centers have been proposed in nearby areas, but the mayor says those types of facilities may not be the "highest and best use" of limited land in Madison. The moratorium could be lifted sooner if the city enacts new zoning regulations for data centers.
zoningmoratoriumelectricitywaterenvironmental
Gov: Satya Rhodes-Conway, Madison City Council, Wisconsin State Legislature, League of Wisconsin Municipalities
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and city alders are proposing a one-year moratorium on zoning certificates for new data centers in the city. The moratorium, if enacted, would be the first of its kind in Wisconsin. Rhodes-Conway cites concerns over the city's lack of a defined zoning code for data centers and their potential environmental impacts, such as high energy and water usage. Data centers have faced backlash across the Midwest due to these sustainability issues, though they remain largely unregulated at the state level in Wisconsin. Rhodes-Conway says a revised zoning code could address land use and sustainability concerns, but notes challenges in accommodating large, single-story data center proposals in the space-constrained city.