Waite Park, in Stearns County, Minnesota, adopted a data-center moratorium on May 4, 2026. Its status in this snapshot is in force.
The record reads: "365-day data-center moratorium, adopted 2026-05-04, active per tracker (Moratorium Nation)."
Details
| Action | Class | Status | Date | MW threshold | Scope | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moratorium | restriction | in force | May 4, 2026 | not county-wide | Moratorium Nation (ALEA Institute) |
Jurisdiction type: municipality. County: Stearns County. Dataset: moratorium nation. Snapshot August 15, 2026; documented actions, not a census.
Elsewhere in Stearns 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.