The Cherokee County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a 30-day moratorium on data centers during its July 21 meeting. — Cherokee County’s Board of Commissioners approved a 30-day moratorium on data centers this week, acting on Tuesday.
The vote makes Cherokee County one of the latest metro Atlanta governments to press “pause” on data center applications.
The county said the moratorium will give staff time to research and develop a specific set of regulations for data center development in Cherokee County.
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County officials said staff from the Community Development Agency will work with the legal department to create an appropriate ordinance.
Brantley Day, the Community Development Director, said the move comes in the wake of multiple data centers being proposed or built across Georgia and the metro Atlanta area in recent years.
Right now, the county does not have a dedicated ordinance for data centers and there are no pending applications for such facilities.
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The commission passed the moratorium unanimously, instituting the initial 30-day moratorium during their July 21 regular meeting.
“Data centers have been proposed and/or built in neighboring counties and across the state of Georgia in recent years. Since we do not have any ordinances specifically addressing the use, we feel it is prudent to do the proper research and work with our legal team to develop an ordinance that reflects the vision and future land use of Cherokee County,” Day said.
The 30-day moratorium vote also called for a public hearing on Aug. 18 to consider extending the moratorium. Day said that the county plans to implement a longer extension of the moratorium.
“We expect to request a 180-day extension when we come back to the Board of Commissioners in August, taking us into mid-February of 2027. We need ample time to research, learn what has worked and what has not in other jurisdictions and craft policy that works for Cherokee County,” Day said.
A public hearing to discuss extending the moratorium is scheduled for Aug. 18 at 6 p.m. at the Cherokee County Administration Building, located at 1130 Bluffs Pkwy. in Canton.
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