Tennessee Town Moves Toward Total Data Center Ban
The town of St. Joseph, Tennessee, located in Lawrence County, is moving to enact a total ban on data centers and similar high-intensity digital infrastructure within its city limits. The Board of Commissioners has already voted to pass the ordinance, which aims to protect the town's water, roads, utilities, public safety resources, and rural way of life from the strain of such projects. This action comes amid discussions of potential data center projects elsewhere in Lawrence County, with St. Joseph acting proactively to prevent similar developments.
The town of St. Joseph, Tennessee, a small rural community in Lawrence County, is on the verge of implementing a complete ban on data centers. Last week, the St. Joseph Board of Commissioners passed Ordinance No. 2026-0707, which explicitly prohibits "data centers, artificial intelligence computing facilities, cryptocurrency mining operations, and similar high-intensity digital infrastructure throughout the city limits."
This proactive measure also forbids all related permits, approvals, and utility extensions, with language designed to prevent any attempts to circumvent the ban. City officials, including Mayor William R. “Bubba” Carter, Vice Mayor Beverly White, Commissioner Marty Passarella, and City Manager Chris Jackson, emphasize that the ordinance is a defensive action to safeguard St. Joseph's limited water resources, infrastructure, public safety, and rural character, particularly after receiving information about potential data center projects in other parts of Lawrence County.
Following the initial approval, the ordinance will undergo review by the city's planning commission and a public hearing before returning to the Board for a final vote. If passed, St. Joseph would be one of the first municipalities in Tennessee to formally prohibit data centers through a local ordinance. Meanwhile, residents in the nearby city of Lawrenceburg are actively opposing a data processing center proposal, with a petition for an 18-month moratorium, despite their Planning Commission's approval of the project.