Which states are pausing or banning data centers in 2026?

A pause measure is a bill, executive order or directive whose stated effect is to halt, suspend or temporarily prohibit the approval, permitting or construction of new data centers, for a fixed or conditional period. Siting, water, ratepayer, disclosure, tax-incentive and public-support measures are listed but are not counted as pauses.

As of Oct 2, 2026, 28 state bills in 14 states meet this definition, and 0 were signed into law. The classification uses keyword rules on each bill's official title (moratorium, pause, halt, temporary prohibition), not a reading of the bill text. Executive actions by governors are described in a separate section.

49 state bills in 23 states have an official title that names data centers.

Statuses are as of Oct 2, 2026. A legislature can act between updates, so the linked official page is the current record.

Texas: On 2026-09-21, Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to halt all permits sought by data centers until the Electric Reliability Council of Texas completes its audit (gov.texas.gov). In Texas, Gov. Abbott required TCEQ to provide an update to the Office of the Governor on its compliance with the directive by Monday, October 19, 2026 (gov.texas.gov).

New York, Executive Order No. 62: On 2026-07-14, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued Executive Order No. 62, directing the Department of Environmental Conservation to hold in abeyance applications for any discretionary permit, approval, license, or similar form of permission for the construction or expansion of a data center not determined to be complete before the date of the order, until the Department of Public Service submits its report of the final Generic Environmental Impact Statement and associated findings statement (EO 62 text). In New York, Executive Order No. 62 does not apply to permits, approvals, licenses, or similar forms of permission from local governments (EO 62 text).

New York, Host Community Investment Framework: On 2026-09-15, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the Host Community Investment Framework, with a recommended community investment benchmark of $1 million for every megawatt of utility demand associated with a data center project (governor.ny.gov). In New York, an executive order directed Empire State Development to create the Community Investment Framework (governor.ny.gov).

Oregon: On 2026-09-08, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek directed every state agency to immediately pause unapproved requests for easements, rights-of-way, leases, rentals, land-use permits, and sales or transfers of state-owned property for data center projects (apps.oregon.gov). In Oregon, Gov. Kotek kept the pause in effect through July 1, 2027, or until statewide action from the Governor's Office or the Legislature directs otherwise (apps.oregon.gov).

Massachusetts: According to WBUR, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order on September 8, 2026 subjecting proposed data center projects to local approval before developers can move on to state permitting.

Maine: On 2026-04-24, Maine Gov. Janet Mills notified the Maine Legislature that she vetoed LD 307, An Act to Establish the Maine Data Center Coordination Council and Place a Temporary Limitation on Certain Data Centers (maine.gov). In Maine, Gov. Mills said she would have signed LD 307 if it had included an exemption for a project underway at the former Androscoggin Mill in Jay (maine.gov).

California: On 2026-09-21, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed bills to strengthen California's approach to data centers (gov.ca.gov). In California, the bills Gov. Newsom signed require data centers to report about water and electricity use (gov.ca.gov).

Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO-8) introduced the Ratepayer Protection Act, H.R. 9340, on 2026-06-18 (H.R. 9340). H.R. 9340 passed the House on 2026-09-16 by a recorded vote of 417 yea to 3 nay (H.R. 9340 status).

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, S. 4214, on 2026-03-25 (S. 4214). S. 4214 was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on 2026-03-25 (S. 4214 status).

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14) introduced the House bill titled the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, H.R. 9442, on 2026-06-24 (H.R. 9442). H.R. 9442 was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Foreign Affairs on 2026-06-24 (H.R. 9442 status).

NETWORK reported lobbying on data centers in its 2026 Q3 filing (LDA filing).

AI SUPPLY CHAIN ALLIANCE (INFORMAL COALITION) reported lobbying on data centers in its 2026 Q2 filing (LDA filing).

The counts below are Senate LDA filings whose specific-issue text contains the phrase "data center" in 2025 to 2026: 738 filings from 229 clients. A filing that mentions data centers does not show which side the client takes.

Bills named in the text of matching filings (280 of 738 filings name at least one bill):