City Council passes one-year data center moratorium in Federal Way
The Federal Way City Council has enacted a one-year moratorium on new data center projects to study their impacts on electricity, water, noise, heat, and local infrastructure, and to assess if new regulations are needed.
The Federal Way City Council has approved a twelve-month moratorium on new data center projects, effective immediately. The decision comes as the city aims to study the potential impacts of these facilities, which are growing due to AI demand.
Officials highlighted concerns about data centers' significant consumption of electricity and water, as well as the noise and heat they generate, and their potential to strain local infrastructure. During this pause, the city will assess whether new regulatory measures are necessary to manage future data center development.