Data center restrictions tracker · Iowa

Adair County, Iowa: data center moratorium (2026)

Data snapshot 2026-08-15 · part of Pricing the Fear of Data Centers

Adair County, Iowa, adopted a data-center moratorium on March 18, 2026. Its status in this snapshot is in force.

Adair County, Iowa, adopted a data-center zoning exclusion on April 24, 2024. Its status in this snapshot is in force.

The records read: "Data-center moratorium, adopted 2026-03-18, active per tracker (Moratorium Nation)." "Applied Digital proposed a 200MW, $1.5B data center with two 300,000 sq ft buildings adjacent to a NextEra substation connected to wind farms in Guthrie and Audubon counties. Supervisors drafted a setback ordinance after a county meeting… (datacentertracker.org)."

Details

ActionClassStatusDateMW thresholdScopeSource
Moratoriumrestrictionin forceMarch 18, 2026county-wideMoratorium Nation (ALEA Institute)
Zoning exclusionrestrictionin forceApril 24, 2024county-widedatacentertracker.org

Jurisdiction type: county. County: Adair County. Dataset: moratorium nation. Snapshot August 15, 2026; documented actions, not a census.

Iowa context

Iowa has 35 documented local actions across 32 jurisdictions in this snapshot. There is no statewide restriction, incentive rollback, or large-load tariff on record for Iowa in this snapshot.

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.

Sources

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