DeKalb County Commission extends data center moratorium

Data Centers

June 10th, 2026

DeKalb County Deputy Director of Planning Rachel Bragg asks the county commission to extend a moratorium on data center applications during a public hearing on June 9, 2026. (Zoe Seiler/ Appen Media)

DECATUR, Ga. — The DeKalb County Commission, at its June 9 meeting, extended a moratorium on data centers for 100 days through Sept. 30. The current moratorium is set to expire June 23.

DeKalb County has been working to put regulations in place that address land use and where data centers can or cannot be located. The current draft ordinance restricts facilities to industrial areas and requires a special land-use permit in most cases.

The draft defines data centers of various sizes, including data center campuses that are 500,000 square feet or more.

While the county commission and staff have been drafting the regulations, a moratorium has been in place since July 2025.

Commissioner Ted Terry made a motion to extend the moratorium for a year and Commissioner Michelle Long Spears suggested nine months.

The county attorney said the commission should listen to the planning department and staff about how much time they need to research and refine the ordinance. The moratorium has been in place to give the staff time to conduct research and draft the regulations. The motion to extend the moratorium by 9 months failed, and it was renewed for 100 days.

This is a developing story and more information will be added.

This story was provided by WABE media partner Decaturish.