Sioux Falls, SD, October 21, 2026 —

The Aberdeen City Council has voted to extend its moratorium on new data center construction until July of next year, giving officials additional time to prepare rules for potential projects.

The planned ordinance is expected to set requirements covering data center size, noise, water use and electrical use. The council also intends to address concerns about whether the local housing market could support employees associated with new data center projects.

The extension keeps the pause on new construction in place while the council works on those requirements. The stated purpose is to allow more time to draft the ordinance; details of the proposed rules have not been provided.

The summary of the council’s decision does not specify when the vote took place, how many members supported or opposed the extension, or when the existing moratorium began. It also does not identify a specific calendar year for the July deadline. The names of officials involved and any proposed project applications affected by the moratorium were not provided.

Until the ordinance is drafted, the information available does not establish what size limits or standards for noise, water or electricity the council may adopt. The council’s stated housing concern relates to the local market’s capacity to accommodate new employees, but no estimates of potential staffing or housing demand were provided.

The extension therefore provides more time for the council to develop a framework for reviewing potential data center projects. The next stated milestone is the moratorium’s end in July of next year; further details about the ordinance and the council’s process were not included in the summary.


Story summarized from the original created by Grant Green on www.dakotanewsnow.com, see more information here.

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