Covington, in Newton County, Georgia, adopted a data-center moratorium on January 5, 2026. Its status in this snapshot is in force.
The record reads: "Data-center moratorium running to a set end date, adopted 2026-01-05, active per tracker (Moratorium Nation)."
Details
| Action | Class | Status | Date | MW threshold | Scope | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moratorium | restriction | in force | January 5, 2026 | not county-wide | Moratorium Nation (ALEA Institute) |
Jurisdiction type: municipality. County: Newton County. Dataset: moratorium nation. Snapshot August 15, 2026; documented actions, not a census.
Elsewhere in Newton County
Georgia context
Georgia has 66 documented local actions across 60 jurisdictions in this snapshot. At the state level, the state has an incentive rollback (pending, February 12, 2026) and Georgia Power (PSC rule) territory has a large-load tariff (in force, February 1, 2025).
A town that says no to a data center gives up local tax revenue, not jobs: one large campus pays $2M to $90M a year depending on the tax regime, against roughly 50 permanent jobs. The parent piece prices it and lists the conditions that beat a ban.