DeKalb County Data Center Moratorium
DeKalb County, DeKalb County, Georgia
CRITICAL RISK
Trajectory: Active moratorium extended (from 100-day initial to June 23, 2026); Moratorium vote escalated from 4-3 to unanimous; New restrictive text amendment under development with SLUP requirements, 500-foot setbacks, and 2,640-foot transit separation.
Last updated 2026-03-29
DeKalb County shut the door and locked it. A 100-day moratorium became a unanimous extension through June 2026. The draft text amendment requires 500-foot setbacks, 2,640-foot transit separation, and special land use permits for anything larger than a closet. Renew DeKalb Inc., the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and 75-100 residents who packed a November zoning meeting made sure of it.
Active moratorium blocks ALL data center applications — permits, rezonings, land disturbance, business licenses — through June 23, 2026.
The initial moratorium passed 4-3. The extension passed unanimously. The political direction is clear.
DeKalb had zero data center provisions in its zoning code before the moratorium. The county is writing regulations from scratch.
Draft text amendment (TA-25) establishes a 5-category classification system — the most granular DC regulatory framework proposed by any county in the index.
Inside this score
How the 100 points break down.
Each dimension is scored out of its own weight, and the four add up to the score. A higher score is a clearer market-level path; it is not a likelihood of approval for a parcel.
- Regulatory Riskweight 300 / 30
What it reads, and where it stops
Measures zoning classification, approval pathway type (by-right, CUP, rezoning), moratorium status, and regulatory trajectory. Higher scores indicate clearer regulatory paths.
Reads the written route and the stated direction of a market's rules as of the edition date. It does not read a particular parcel's zoning, and a rule recorded here can change at the next meeting of the body.
- Infrastructure Readinessweight 250 / 25
What it reads, and where it stops
Measures utility capacity, grid interconnection availability, water supply adequacy, and infrastructure investment commitments. Higher scores indicate better infrastructure readiness.
Reads the utility, grid, water and investment record for the market. It does not confirm capacity at a given site, and delivery timelines for power and water are separate from entitlement risk.
- Opposition Densityweight 252 / 25
What it reads, and where it stops
Measures organized opposition groups, petition scale, public hearing attendance, political consequences (elections, recalls), and legal challenges. Higher scores indicate less opposition.
Reads organised opposition that shows on the public record: groups, petitions, hearings, elections and legal challenges. A quiet record is not evidence of support, and a loud one is not a count of votes.
- Approval Timelineweight 200 / 20
What it reads, and where it stops
Measures historical approval durations, number of sequential approval steps, legal challenges affecting timeline, and demonstrated fast-track capabilities. Higher scores indicate faster approvals.
Reads how long recorded approvals have taken and how many sequential steps they needed. Past duration is a record of what happened, not a schedule for the next application.
0 + 0 + 2 + 0 = 2 of 100 · Critical Risk
Dimension Breakdown
Four dimensions that determine entitlement feasibility.
Regulatory Risk
30 pts
Active moratorium in effect through June 23, 2026 (Ordinance 2025-1694). The moratorium prohibits acceptance of ALL applications relating to new data centers or expansion of existing data centers, including special land use permits, rezonings, land disturbance permits, building permits, and business licenses. DeKalb had no data center-specific provisions before the moratorium.
Score: 0/30. Active moratorium (Ordinance 2025-1694) prohibits all applications. Even after it expires, a new text amendment must be adopted before any application can be filed.
Infrastructure Readiness
25 pts
Insufficient data: no utility capacity data, interconnection queue information, or water capacity data was located for DeKalb County. Georgia Power service territory, but no DC-specific infrastructure assessment exists. Score adjusted to account for baseline infrastructure while acknowledging the moratorium makes infrastructure scoring largely academic.
Score: 0/25. No DC-specific infrastructure assessment exists. Georgia Power service territory, but the moratorium makes this dimension academic.
Opposition Density
25 pts
Organized, multi-group opposition with a documented track record of driving a moratorium. Named opposition group: Renew DeKalb Inc., led by Gina Mangham. The Atlanta chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation has also organized against data centers. 75-100 attended the November 2025 zoning meeting. Town halls drew calls for permanent bans.
Score: 2/25. Renew DeKalb Inc. (Gina Mangham) and the Party for Socialism and Liberation drove the moratorium. Town halls drew calls for permanent bans.
Approval Timeline
20 pts
No approval pathway currently exists. The moratorium blocks ALL applications through June 23, 2026. Even after the moratorium expires, the new text amendment must first be adopted (public hearing May 12, 2026, already deferred once). Once adopted, Major and Campus-scale data centers require SLUPs with full public hearings.
Score: 0/20. No pathway exists. Moratorium through June 2026, then text amendment adoption (public hearing May 12, already deferred once), then SLUP process.
Key Findings
What the record shows.
DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted 4-3 on July 8, 2025 to approve a 100-day moratorium on new data center applications.
Decaturish: DeKalb County Commission Approves Data Center MoratoriumBoard voted unanimously on December 16, 2025 to extend the moratorium through June 23, 2026, escalating from the initial 4-3 vote.
Decaturish: DeKalb extends data center moratorium, defers regulationsDraft text amendment (TA-25) establishes 5-category classification system with SLUP requirements, 500-foot setbacks, and 2,640-foot transit separation for Major and Campus-scale data centers.
Engage DeKalb — Data Center Text Amendment pageDeKalb had no data center-specific provisions in its zoning ordinance before the moratorium.
DeKalb County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 27 — ZoningRecorded Acts
Dated acts on the public record.
DeKalb County Board of Commissioners
Voted unanimously to extend the data center moratorium through June 23, 2026.
Opposition Profile
Who is organizing.
Renew DeKalb Inc., led by Gina Mangham — community advocacy group opposing data centers
Atlanta chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation — advocates for prohibiting data centers
75-100 people attended the November 20, 2025 zoning meeting opposing data centers
Town hall attendees called for permanent bans at December 10, 2025 meeting
Timeline
How it unfolded.
July 8, 2025
Board of Commissioners voted 4-3 to approve 100-day moratorium on new data center applications.
December 16, 2025
Board voted unanimously to extend moratorium through June 23, 2026.
January 27, 2026
Draft text amendment (TA-25) introduced with 5-category classification system.
March 24, 2026
Board deferred data center text amendment again, removing "campus" definition.
Dates on the record
Dates on the record.
As of the 29 Mar 2026 edition
Board voted unanimously to extend moratorium through June 23, 2026.
Passed · check the current record
End date stated in the market's timeline · recorded 16 Dec 2025
Only dates that this market's own timeline gives. No outcome is named. The dated acts that have already happened are in the timeline above.
Known Risks
What could change.
Active risk factors documented in public record.
Active moratorium blocks ALL data center applications through June 23, 2026
No infrastructure assessment data available for DC-specific deployment
Organized multi-group opposition drove moratorium enactment
No approval pathway exists until moratorium expires and text amendment is adopted
Recommendation
CRITICAL RISK — Score 2/100
DeKalb County has an active moratorium blocking all data center applications through June 23, 2026. No approval pathway exists. Avoid committing budget until the moratorium expires and the text amendment framework is adopted.
Sources
Claims cited.
Decaturish: DeKalb County Commission Approves Data Center Moratorium
secondaryDecaturish: DeKalb extends data center moratorium, defers regulations
primaryOrdinance 2025-1694 — Data Center Moratorium Extension (DeKalb County official PDF)
primaryDeKalb County Code of Ordinances, Chapter 27 — Zoning
primaryEngage DeKalb — Data Center Text Amendment page
secondaryRough Draft Atlanta: DeKalb County defers data center regulations until May
secondaryFOX 5 Atlanta: Activists warn proposed Ellenwood data center could create wasteland
secondaryDecaturish: Tensions flare at DeKalb zoning meeting about data centers
From the record
What the public record holds for DeKalb County.
Each case file below is a verified public record with its sources attached; each note is a dated research note. They sit beside this market's score; they do not change it.
Case files elsewhere in Georgia
- Georgia EPD amended SK Battery air permit for Commerce phase twoIndustrial · Commerce, Georgia
- Sandy Springs denied 8721 Roswell Road drive-through CUPRetail & restaurants · Sandy Springs, Georgia
- Thomas County denied a six-person personal-care-home useSenior living · Thomas County, Georgia
Notes about DeKalb County
- The record is asking about water: cooling commitments as entitlement currencyJurisdiction Data · 21 Jun 2026
- The moratorium is contagious: how data-center pauses jump county linesJurisdiction Data · 2 Jun 2026
Notes about Georgia
- By-right is not forever: Loudoun, Fayetteville, and the repricing of permitted useJurisdiction Data · 16 Jun 2026
- What a nitrate settlement teaches about industrial water riskJurisdiction Data · 24 May 2026
Sector page: Data centers
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