Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Council Extends Data Center Moratorium Through 2027 in Unanimous Vote

The Oklahoma City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to extend the city's moratorium on new data centers through the end of 2027. The extension, backed by Mayor David Holt and every councilmember, takes effect immediately and keeps the pause on new applications, rezoning requests and permits for large data centers while the city rewrites its zoning code.

A pause that keeps getting longer

The council first passed the moratorium on April 21, 2026, suspending new data center applications through December 2026, with an exemption for two properties that were already in the rezoning process. A May 19 amendment exempted smaller centers at or under 75 megawatts. The pause now covers applications, rezoning requests and permits for the construction or expansion of large-scale data centers with electrical loads over 75 megawatts.

The two exempted properties have moved forward since April, including the city's first mega data center. On October 27, the council voted 6 to 3 to approve Beltline Energy's hyperscale project near Interstate 40 and Frisco Road, with strict zoning terms and a required community benefits agreement before any building permit. That project could proceed because its zoning plan was filed months before the moratorium began.

Why the city wants more time

City Manager Craig Freeman said the city is still working with a hired consultant to decide what its codes should change and how to apply the newest research on how data centers affect residents and resources. Officials enacted the pause in April to study hyperscale centers, which use far more power and water than smaller facilities.

"Extending the temporary moratorium will give City Council time to evaluate the full scope of the potential impacts and determine appropriate regulations," Planning Director Geoff Butler said. City staff will research best practices and work with the consultant and community stakeholders on a zoning update that creates a specific use category for data centers.

The moratorium runs until December 31, 2027, or until the zoning code is updated, whichever comes first. Freeman and Holt said that if the code is finished early but staff still need more time, the council will make that call when the time comes. Councilmember James Cooper of Ward 2 suggested the city closely follow state and national policy talks on data centers, an issue drawing strong reactions across the country.

A debate spreading across the metro

Oklahoma City is not deciding alone. Residents of suburban Yukon recently ousted Mayor Brian Pillmore after he backed the Beltline proposal, which needed approvals from both Yukon and Oklahoma City for parcels along Route 66 and Frisco Road. On Monday night, the Edmond City Council voted 5 to 0 to extend its own data center moratorium through June 30, 2027. For now, any developer with a new large data center plan for Oklahoma City will have to wait for the new rules, or for the end of 2027.