Data center restrictions tracker · Tennessee

Knoxville, Tennessee: data center moratorium (2026)

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

Knoxville, in Knox County, Tennessee, adopted a data-center moratorium on July 7, 2026. Its status in this snapshot is in force.

The record reads: "365-day data-center moratorium, adopted 2026-07-07, active per tracker (Moratorium Nation)."

Details

ActionClassStatusDateMW thresholdScopeSource
Moratoriumrestrictionin forceJuly 7, 2026not county-wideMoratorium Nation (ALEA Institute)

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

Elsewhere in Knox County

Tennessee context

Tennessee has 41 documented local actions across 36 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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