Data center restrictions tracker · Minnesota

Minneapolis City Council, Minnesota: data center moratorium (2026)

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

Minneapolis City Council, in Hennepin County, Minnesota, adopted a data-center moratorium on May 21, 2026. Its status in this snapshot is enacted.

The record reads: "Minneapolis City Council voted 8-5 for a 6-month moratorium on new data center sites; exempts downtown proposals under 350,000 sq ft. Interim ordinance in effect (no mayoral approval required). (datacentertracker.org)."

Details

ActionClassStatusDateMW thresholdScopeSource
MoratoriumrestrictionenactedMay 21, 2026not county-widedatacentertracker.org

Jurisdiction type: municipality. County: Hennepin County. Dataset: datacentertracker. Snapshot August 15, 2026; documented actions, not a census.

Elsewhere in Hennepin County

Minnesota context

Minnesota has 18 documented local actions across 18 jurisdictions in this snapshot. At the state level, the state has a ratepayer-protection law (enacted).

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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