Case File · DeKalb County, Georgia
4-3 moratorium became unanimous. Then permanent.
DeKalb County passed a 100-day data center moratorium 4-3 in July 2025. By December, the extension vote was unanimous. The county is now drafting a first-of-its-kind 5-tier regulatory ordinance. No new data center applications will be accepted until June 2026 at the earliest.
Cited DeKalb County site read 2/100 after the moratorium passed.
DeKalb County, GA — moratorium on data centers passed as commissioners seek to study infrastructure impacts
News coverage
4-3
Initial Vote
Unanimous
Extension Vote
To Jun 2026
Moratorium
5 Tiers
Tier System
Wave
GA Counties
2/100
RealClear Score
DeKalb County, Georgia · 2024 — 2026
The complete timeline.
From zoning certification letters to a statewide wave of moratoriums. How one county's 4-3 vote became the template for Georgia.
2024
DeKalb County issues zoning certification letters for two data center sites
DeKalb County sends zoning certification letters to developers for proposed locations at 2235 Bouldercrest Road and 3600 International Park Drive, both zoned light industrial. The letters state that data centers would be a permissible use on those sites — effectively greenlighting development without public input.
Early 2025
Residents raise health and environmental concerns about Bouldercrest Road
Residents near the proposed Bouldercrest Road data center raise concerns about noise, air quality from diesel backup generators, heat island effects, and the concentration of industrial uses in predominantly Black neighborhoods. The environmental justice framing elevates the fight beyond standard NIMBY opposition.
July 8, 2025
Commission approves 100-day moratorium 4-3
The DeKalb County Commission votes 4-3 to approve a 100-day moratorium on new data center applications. Voting yes: Commissioners Ted Terry, Michelle Long Spears, LaDena Bolton, and Chakira Johnson. Voting no: Robert Patrick, Mereda Davis Johnson, and Nicole Massiah. The moratorium freezes all new data center licensing and permitting through October 16, 2025.
Summer 2025
Commissioner Ted Terry publishes data center impact analysis
District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry publishes a detailed analysis of data center impacts on his website (commissionertedterry.com), covering water use, power demand, noise, and the absence of county regulations. His analysis provides the intellectual framework for the 5-tier ordinance that will follow.
October 2025
Commission extends moratorium — moves to draft comprehensive ordinance
As the 100-day moratorium nears expiration, the commission votes to extend. The county begins drafting a comprehensive data center text amendment establishing a first-of-its-kind 5-tier classification system based on square footage and power demand.
December 16, 2025
Commission unanimously extends moratorium through June 23, 2026
Commissioner LaDena Bolton introduces a substitute motion to extend the moratorium until June 23, 2026. The board unanimously approves — a significant escalation from the original 4-3 vote. All seven commissioners now support the pause, indicating the political consensus has shifted decisively against unrestricted data center development.
2025–2026
5-tier draft ordinance published on Engage DeKalb
The county publishes a draft data center text amendment on engagedekalb.dekalbcountyga.gov outlining where data centers can be located, size limits, spacing requirements from other data centers and transit stops, and noise, power, and water management standards. The 5-tier system creates different regulatory pathways based on facility scale.
2025–2026
Georgia 'wave' of data center ordinances sweeps through counties
Georgia Public Broadcasting reports a 'wave' of data center ordinances sweeping through Georgia counties, with DeKalb as a leading example. Multiple counties adopt moratoriums or restrictive ordinances. The statewide pattern signals a permanent shift in the regulatory environment for data center development in Georgia.
The People Who Decided This Case
Seven commissioners. One unanimous vote.
From a 4-3 split to unanimous support for extending the moratorium. How every commissioner came around.
Ted Terry
Commissioner
District 6
Documented Record
Voted yes on the July 2025 moratorium. Published a detailed data center impact analysis on commissionertedterry.com covering water use, power demand, and noise. Provided the policy framework for the 5-tier draft ordinance.
The intellectual leader of the moratorium movement. His District 6 includes areas directly affected by proposed data centers. His published analysis became the basis for the regulatory framework that followed.
Michelle Long Spears
Commissioner
District 5
Documented Record
Voted yes on the July 8, 2025 moratorium (part of the 4-3 majority). Supported the unanimous December extension.
Part of the initial 4-3 moratorium majority. Her support was essential to passing the original 100-day moratorium. Her district's demographic concerns about environmental justice amplified the opposition.
LaDena Bolton
Commissioner
District 7
Documented Record
Voted yes on the original moratorium. Introduced the substitute motion on December 16, 2025 to extend the moratorium through June 23, 2026. The extension passed unanimously.
Her leadership on the extension — and the unanimous vote that followed — demonstrated that even the original opponents had come around.
Chakira Johnson
Commissioner
Documented Record
Voted yes on the July 2025 moratorium as the fourth vote in the 4-3 majority. Supported the unanimous December extension.
Fourth vote in the original 4-3 moratorium. Her focus on public health concerns connected the data center fight to broader environmental justice issues in DeKalb County.
Robert Patrick
Commissioner
Documented Record
Voted no on the July 2025 moratorium (one of three dissenting votes). Voted yes on the unanimous December 2025 extension.
His switch from opposition to support between July and December signals the depth of the political shift. Initially raised economic impact concerns but ultimately joined the consensus.
Mereda Davis Johnson
Commissioner
Documented Record
Voted no on the July 2025 moratorium. Voted yes on the unanimous December 2025 extension.
Initially voted no on the moratorium, emphasizing economic development. Her shift to supporting the extension reflects the political difficulty of opposing the moratorium after community mobilization.
Nicole Massiah
Commissioner
Documented Record
Voted no on the July 2025 moratorium (third dissenting vote). Voted yes on the unanimous December 2025 extension.
Third original no vote. Her support for the extension suggests the political environment constrained her ability to oppose regulations, though she may advocate for a more permissive 5-tier system.
The Key Differentiator
Source records that existed before the moratorium.
Every source-record factor that led to this moratorium was visible in public data before the first zoning certification letter was issued.
Bouldercrest Road — Environmental Justice Vulnerability
The proposed data center sites at 2235 Bouldercrest Road and 3600 International Park Drive are in predominantly Black neighborhoods with existing industrial concentration. Environmental justice concerns amplify standard opposition into politically potent resistance. This demographic context was visible in census data before any zoning letter was issued.
No Existing Data Center Ordinance
DeKalb County had no specific regulations governing data center development. Data centers were treated as generic light industrial uses — which meant no noise limits, no cooling requirements, no separation distances. The regulatory vacuum created the conditions for the moratorium.
Community Health Concerns Already Active
Residents near the Bouldercrest Road sites were already raising concerns about diesel generator emissions, noise pollution, and heat island effects before the moratorium was proposed. The health framing — not just quality of life — elevated the opposition to a level that commissioners could not ignore.
4-3 Board Composition = Moratorium-Ready
The DeKalb County Commission's political composition — four progressive commissioners willing to prioritize community health over industrial development — was visible in their voting records before the data center fight began. A cited political-record review surfaces the board as moratorium-prone.
Georgia Statewide Anti-Data-Center Movement
GPB reported a 'wave' of data center ordinances sweeping through Georgia counties. DeKalb was not the first — and the statewide pattern was visible to any developer monitoring Georgia regulatory trends. The political momentum was against unrestricted data center development.
Zoning Certification Letters = Trigger Events
The county's 2024 zoning certification letters effectively greenlighted data center development without public input. When residents learned about the letters, the perceived lack of transparency became the moratorium's proximate cause. County zoning-certification monitoring surfaces this trigger.
The Pre-Filing Research
What RealClear finds at any site in DeKalb County.
Before the moratorium. Before the 5-tier ordinance. Before a 4-3 vote became unanimous.
Jurisdiction Analysis
DeKalb County, Georgia — Data Center Moratorium
100-day moratorium → Extended to June 2026 · 5-tier ordinance drafted
Material Constraints
- Active moratorium blocking all new data center applications until June 2026
- 4-3 initial vote shows slim but sufficient majority for restrictions
- Unanimous extension vote shows opposition has solidified
- 5-tier draft ordinance imposes size, location, setback, and noise requirements
- Bouldercrest Road sites already triggered the moratorium — community health concerns active
Recommendation
DO NOT FILE. Active moratorium through June 2026. Wait for final ordinance adoption, then evaluate tier classification for your project. The 5-tier system will determine feasibility — but the political environment in DeKalb County has permanently shifted against by-right data center development.
The Pre-Flight Checklist
Six source-record factors. All publicly available.
Every source-record factor that led to this moratorium was in public records before the first application was filed.
No data center ordinance = regulatory vacuum = moratorium risk
Zoning reviewThe Zoning review identifies the absence of data center-specific regulations in DeKalb County code. Jurisdictions without existing frameworks are the most likely to adopt moratoriums when the first applications arrive.
Environmental justice demographics = amplified opposition
Community risk reviewThe Community risk review cross-references proposed sites with demographic data and identifies environmental justice vulnerability. Opposition in EJ communities generates media coverage and political pressure that exceeds standard NIMBY dynamics.
Board composition analysis = 4 moratorium-ready votes
Political AnalysisThe Approval path review analyzes commissioner voting records and identifies four progressive members likely to support regulatory intervention over industrial development.
Georgia statewide moratorium wave = jurisdictional contagion
Comparable outcomes reviewThe Comparable outcomes review tracks moratorium adoptions across Georgia and flags the statewide pattern. When neighboring counties adopt moratoriums, the political cost of NOT adopting one increases.
Health concerns = elevated opposition framing
Community risk reviewWhen opposition is framed around public health rather than quality of life, commissioners face higher political costs for supporting development. The health framing was visible in community meeting comments before the moratorium vote.
Zoning certification letters = transparency trigger
Regulatory recordAdministrative zoning certifications issued without public input create perceived transparency deficits. When residents discover that development was 'approved' without their knowledge, the resulting backlash often produces moratoriums.
The cost of filing into a moratorium jurisdiction:
Any developer who filed a data center application in DeKalb County after July 2025 watched their application freeze for at least 12 months. Site selection costs, option payments, and development team time — all stranded by a moratorium that was predictable from public data.
A cited source review surfaces the moratorium risk before you signed the site option.
Primary Source Documents
12 DocumentsEvery finding cited to the source. Click any document to preview it directly. Source-record patterns visible to experienced entitlement analysts months before the hearing.
Cited Brief
How RealClear built this assessment.
This source review is backed by a traceable source trail — real articles, real officials, real patterns.
News records reviewed
Officials identified
Comparable approvals reviewed
Opposition groups in record
Event Timeline
Key milestones in the entitlement journey
2024
Data centers identified as permissible in Light Industrial zones
2024
Zoning certification letters issued to multiple developers
2024-2025
Environmental justice communities raise health and energy concerns
Mid-2025
100-day moratorium approved on data center permits
Late 2025
Moratorium extended through June 2026 — Georgia-wide pattern accelerates
2024
Data centers identified as permissible in Light Industrial zones
2024
Zoning certification letters issued to multiple developers
2024-2025
Environmental justice communities raise health and energy concerns
Mid-2025
100-day moratorium approved on data center permits
Late 2025
Moratorium extended through June 2026 — Georgia-wide pattern accelerates
Key Actors
Decision-makers and their positions
DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
Legislative Body
Approved moratorium and extended it — new zoning regulations under development
Environmental Justice Community Leaders
Organized Opposition
Raised power grid strain, electromagnetic concerns, and cumulative environmental impacts in communities of color
Opposition Record
Organized opposition groups
DeKalb EJ Community Coalition
Multiple EJ organizations with deep community roots
Tactics
Commission meeting testimony, health impact framing, power grid strain documentation
Track Record
Successfully drove a 100-day moratorium and extension — unprecedented in metro Atlanta
Georgia Data Center Moratorium Movement
Multiple Georgia counties
Tactics
Cross-county coordination, legislative advocacy, regulatory reform proposals
Track Record
Multiple moratoriums enacted or proposed across Georgia in 2025
Jurisdiction Pattern
What history tells us about this jurisdiction
Approval history
N/A — moratorium in effect; specific permit applications not documented by name
Recent Shifts
Georgia-wide moratorium pattern accelerating — DeKalb was not an isolated event
Source read
A zoning certification letter confirms current zoning. It does not guarantee future zoning. Moratoriums override certification letters. DeKalb developers had letters in hand when the moratorium froze their permits.
Cited research compiled from 7 news articles, DeKalb County commission records, and comparable Georgia data center moratorium tracking
A zoning certification letter confirms current zoning
A zoning certification letter confirms current zoning. It does not guarantee future zoning. Moratoriums override certification letters. DeKalb developers had letters in hand when the moratorium froze their permits. Cited research compiled from 7 news articles, DeKalb County commission records, and comparable Georgia data center moratorium tracking
How this was assembled: Every source record ties to a public source you can verify yourself — news coverage, hearing records, court filings, public testimony. No scraped gated platforms, no invented engagement numbers, no attributions that aren’t on the page. RealClear surfaces source records; your team decides. See our methodology for the full sourcing standard.
This Is Entitlement Research
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Cited research summary · Not legal advice · Verify independently before making investment decisions