Clock starts on 9-month Tazewell County data center moratorium
The Tazewell County Board unanimously approved a nine-month moratorium prohibiting data center applications until July 28, 2027, unless the board ends it earlier. County officials will use the pause to develop regulations, with industrial zoning currently the only proposed location requirement.
The Tazewell County Board in Illinois unanimously approved a moratorium barring data center applications through July 28, 2027, unless the board lifts it sooner. The measure followed unanimous recommendations from the county’s Land Use Committee and Zoning Board of Appeals; no data center applications have previously been filed in the county.
County officials, staff and community representatives will use the moratorium to develop a data center ordinance addressing concerns about infrastructure, natural resources, property values and public welfare. Community Development Administrator Jaclynn Workman said there is no firm deadline for completing the ordinance, while Land Use Committee Chairman Russ Crawford described the effort as unusually challenging. The only proposed rule so far would limit data centers to industrially zoned areas.