Every U.S. state that bans data centers

By now, you've likely heard about the push to stop new data centers from being built in the United States.

Data centers aren't very popular right now, and a New York Times /Sienna survey just found that 61 percent of Americans oppose new construction.

It certainly doesn't help that AI companies are overtly talking about doomsday-like scenarios and widespread AI-driven job loss .

On top of that, many people have seen videos on social media showing the noise pollution and other environmental effects that can come with AI data centers.

Despite the discourse surrounding AI data centers, you might be surprised to hear that as of Wednesday, Sept.

16, 2026, there are no bans on data centers in any of the 50 states.

While some local municipalities and governments have successfully introduced pauses on new data centers, New York is the first and only state to enact a one-year moratorium on new hyperscale data centers statewide.

So, if you're wondering how many U.S. states have data center bans, it's either a list of zero or one, depending on whether you count New York's moratorium.

However, state legislation to ban or temporarily pause the construction of data centers has been introduced in 16 states so far, from Democratic strongholds like Delaware and Maine to deep-red states like South Dakota and South Carolina.

Delaware SB 353 would enact a moratorium on permits for large-scale data centers in Delaware until January 2027.

The bill was introduced in June and is currently awaiting consideration in committee.

Georgia HB 1059 would forbid local governments in Georgia from permitting data centers until December 2028.

The bill was introduced earlier this year.

Maine LD 307 was introduced this year, and it would have put a moratorium on large-scale data centers until November 2027.