Yellowstone County, Montana, adopted a data-center zoning exclusion on June 18, 2026. Its status in this snapshot is pending.
The record reads: "Yellowstone County residents (led by Kassi Solberg) have submitted a citizen ballot initiative that would bar the county from approving construction or expansion of any data center without a special election in which two-thirds of voters… (datacentertracker.org)."
Details
| Action | Class | Status | Date | MW threshold | Scope | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning exclusion | restriction | pending | June 18, 2026 | county-wide | datacentertracker.org |
Jurisdiction type: county. County: Yellowstone County. Dataset: datacentertracker. Snapshot August 15, 2026; documented actions, not a census.
Montana context
Montana has 2 documented local actions across 2 jurisdictions in this snapshot. There is no statewide restriction, incentive rollback, or large-load tariff on record for Montana 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.