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Regbase

The Data Center Divide

City of Dubuque

This restriction takes precedence while in effect. The rating below excludes temporary restrictions.

Neutral Data Center Policies

Dubuque enacted a six-month pause on applications and permits for building or expanding data centers that meet specified size, power, server-count, or water-use thresholds. Routine work at existing smaller facilities, emergencies, and city-owned IT systems are exempt.

Rating from Iowa statewide as there are no scored current or future laws outside temporary restrictions for City of Dubuque.

current law · City of Dubuque
Temporarily prohibits Dubuque from accepting or processing proposals and permits for hyperscale data centers for six months.Dubuque City Council Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium Ordinance (2026)

What this means

The measure would pause applications and permits for building or expanding hyperscale data centers for six months, making those projects substantially harder to pursue during that period (six-month moratorium). It covers only facilities that meet at least one of the size, power, server-count, or water-use thresholds, and exempts routine work on existing non-hyperscale facilities, emergencies, and city-owned IT infrastructure.

Timing

Ends
six (6) months from the effective date of adoption

The moratorium takes effect upon publication and may be extended, amended, or repealed by the City Council.

People behind it

  • Adopted and enacted the six-month hyperscale data center moratorium.

  • Responsible during the moratorium for conducting technical research, drafting a comprehensive data center ordinance, leading additional public engagement as directed by the Council, and presenting the proposed ordinance.

  • Directed by the City Council to develop a longer-term ordinance governing data center development.

Restrictions & requirementsHide restrictions & requirements7

  • Imposes a six-month moratorium on establishing, constructing, permitting, or expanding hyperscale data centers within Dubuque.

  • Prohibits City departments from accepting, processing, reviewing, approving, or issuing applications, permits, site plans, zoning requests, utility-extension requests, building permits, or other authorizations for establishing, constructing, siting, or expanding a hyperscale data center.

  • Suspends pending applications that meet, or may reasonably be determined to meet, the hyperscale-data-center definition; processing may resume only after the moratorium expires or is repealed.

  • Defines a hyperscale data center broadly enough that meeting any one threshold triggers the moratorium: more than 100,000 square feet of gross floor area, electrical demand exceeding 75 megawatts, at least 5,000 servers, or water use of at least 50 gallons per minute for cooling or operations.

  • Allows the City Council to extend, amend, or repeal the moratorium, so the restriction may continue beyond the initial six-month period.

  • Makes the moratorium effective upon publication, rather than delaying its effect until a later date.

  • Exempts only routine maintenance, repair, or minor modifications to existing non-hyperscale facilities, emergency work needed for public safety, and City-owned IT or data infrastructure.

Benefits & exceptionsHide benefits & exceptions3

  • Existing non-hyperscale data centers may continue routine maintenance, repairs, and minor modifications during the moratorium. The moratorium does not apply to routine maintenance, repair, or minor modifications

  • Emergency work needed to maintain public safety at data-center facilities is allowed during the moratorium. The moratorium does not apply to emergency work necessary to maintain public safety

  • City-owned information-technology or data infrastructure is exempt from the moratorium. The moratorium does not apply to City owned IT or data infrastructure

Sources

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