Data center restrictions tracker · Wisconsin

Dane County, Wisconsin: data center moratorium (2026)

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

Dane County, Wisconsin, adopted a data-center moratorium on June 4, 2026. Its status in this snapshot is in force.

Dane County, Wisconsin, adopted a data-center moratorium on June 4, 2026. Its status in this snapshot is enacted.

The records read: "548-day data-center moratorium, adopted 2026-06-04, active per tracker (Moratorium Nation)." "The Dane County Board unanimously approved Sub 1 to RES-039 on June 4, 2026, an 18-month moratorium pausing zoning permit applications for hyperscale data centers (defined as 5,000+ servers and 10,000+ sq ft) through roughly December 2027.… (datacentertracker.org)."

Details

ActionClassStatusDateMW thresholdScopeSource
Moratoriumrestrictionin forceJune 4, 2026county-wideMoratorium Nation (ALEA Institute)
MoratoriumrestrictionenactedJune 4, 2026county-widedatacentertracker.org

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

Elsewhere in Dane County

Wisconsin context

Wisconsin has 36 documented local actions across 31 jurisdictions in this snapshot. There is no statewide restriction, incentive rollback, or large-load tariff on record for Wisconsin 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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