The Data Center Divide
A policy snapshot ahead of the 2026 midterms. Mapping data center incentives, restrictions, and bans through legislation, regulations, and executive actions across all 50 states and 1,462 local jurisdictions.
Village of Big Bend
This restriction takes precedence while in effect. The rating below excludes temporary restrictions.
Pro-Data Center Policies
Big Bend village enacted a resolution—though its description calls it proposed—pausing Town approvals for data-center siting, construction, expansion, and operation for one year, not permanently.
Rating from Wisconsin statewide as there are no scored current or future laws outside temporary restrictions for Village of Big Bend.
current law · Town of Big BendEstablishes a one-year moratorium on qualifying data centers, adopted on June 3, 2026, to allow the Town’s Zoning Ordinance Committee to study potential effects on groundwater, surface water, air quality, utilities, roads, and other infrastructure while preserving local land-use control.Town of Big Bend Resolution 2026-001 (2026)
What this means
The proposed measure would create a one-year moratorium. It would pause Town approvals for data-center siting, construction, expansion, and operation, creating a substantial but temporary barrier rather than a permanent ban.
Timing
- Ends
- one year after adoption
The resolution establishes a one-year moratorium on data centers. It is dated 2026-06-03, but the effective-date line is incomplete and contains a conflicting reference to 2025; therefore, no exact expiration date is stated.
People behind it
- Town Board
Authorized and adopted the one-year data center moratorium; administers the CAFO ordinance, decides permit applications, and enforces its requirements.
- Zoning Ordinance Committee
Proposed the data center moratorium and developed the CAFO ordinance and supporting findings for referral to the Town Board.
- Town Clerk
Receives CAFO permit applications, places them on the Town Board agenda, and provides required notices to affected landowners.
Restrictions & requirementsHide restrictions & requirements2
A one-year moratorium prohibits the Town from accepting, processing, or approving applications, permits, licenses, building permits, site plans, driveway-access permits, conditional-use permits, rezonings, or any other Town authorization for the siting, construction, installation, expansion, or operation of a covered data center.
The moratorium applies to any building, structure, or group of buildings under common ownership or operation whose principal use is housing computer servers, networking, or data-storage equipment and that meets either threshold: an aggregate building footprint of at least 10,000 square feet or an aggregate designed or installed electrical load of at least 1 megawatt.
Benefits & exceptionsHide benefits & exceptions1
The moratorium applies only to facilities meeting at least one threshold: an aggregate building footprint of 10,000 square feet or more, or an aggregate designed or installed electrical load of 1 megawatt or more. A smaller data center below both thresholds is not covered by the moratorium.
Sources
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