In Chicago, Brandon Johnson proposes a one-year moratorium on new data centers

Brandon Johnson, the mayor of Chicago, presented a proposal for a twelve-month moratorium on new data centers to the City Council on September 23, 2026. Council members Maria Hadden, Lamont Robinson and Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth are co-sponsors, reports the Chicago Tribune in its article republished by Government Technology.

The proposal was referred to the Rules Committee during that session, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. The moratorium remains a proposal and applies only to the city of Chicago.

The September filing provides a legislative follow-up to the political call made in August. Municipal executive order 2026-5, dated August 11, had strengthened certain controls and called on the council to establish a moratorium. The requested pause required a separate decision by the City Council.

If adopted, the moratorium would cover new data centers and major expansions of existing sites while the regulatory framework is prepared. The affected projects could therefore be delayed. A data center houses servers used by digital services, including cloud computing and artificial intelligence. The proposal covers this infrastructure broadly, including centers that are not dedicated to AI.

Brandon Johnson justifies the pause by citing the time needed to prepare rules on water, energy, air pollution and noise. He says he wants to welcome investment while protecting quality of life. Local residents could benefit from additional safeguards if requirements addressing these uses and disturbances are subsequently adopted and enforced.

Other council members advocate a different timetable for regulating data centers. Bill Conway proposes zoning restrictions and a framework for accountability to residents without waiting for the task force's recommendations, reports NBC Chicago. His alternative favors immediate regulation. The disagreement therefore concerns how and when to impose the rules.

The moratorium would target new capacity

Maria Hadden cites a figure of 39 data centers already located in Chicago in the Chicago Tribune report. This count covers sites without indicating their electrical capacity or the share of their activity devoted to AI.

A moratorium on new projects would not automatically reduce resource consumption at existing facilities. The pause would affect the addition of capacity within the city.

For developers, adoption would create uncertainty over the schedules of the affected developments. The Data Center Coalition, which represents the industry, predicts a shift in investment to neighboring areas in a statement reported by the Sun-Times.

Recommendations expected by March 2027

The Data Centers Task Force established by the August executive order must submit recommendations and regulatory proposals no later than March 15, 2027. The mayor may approve another date compatible with a potential moratorium. These recommendations are intended to lay the groundwork for future rules.

The committee process and vote will determine whether the pause takes effect, its scope and any exemptions. The anticipated protection will then depend on the measurable requirements addressing water, energy and disturbances that are actually adopted and enforced.