A temporary moratorium bars County officials from accepting, processing, scheduling hearings for, recommending approval of, approving, or issuing specified applications or approvals for establishing, constructing, expanding, or materially altering a data center or data-center campus in unincorporated Appling County. It covers electrical and conditional permits, development permits, site-plan approvals, building permits, and other future development approvals. The moratorium runs from August 4, 2026, through January 31, 2027, for a total of 180 days—not an additional 180 days. It applies to applications submitted on or after August 4; applications determined complete before that date are also covered unless the applicant had already established a vested right under applicable law. A data center is defined as a building or campus primarily for digital-data storage, management, processing, or transmission that requires significant electrical infrastructure, cooling systems, or high-capacity telecommunications infrastructure.

The moratorium does not impair a data center applicant’s vested right established under applicable law before August 4, 2026. An application the County found complete before that date is otherwise subject to the moratorium unless the applicant had obtained such a vested right.