MEMPHIS, TN — Councilman JB Smiley, Jr. is introducing an amended data center temporary moratorium ordinance, as he and other Councilmembers have been working diligently to consolidate and amend the ordinance to address concerns about data center developments in the community.
“We want to take a pause to put responsible guardrails in place for data center and high-density computing facilities to ensure that we have the data, information, and community engagement in place to develop permanent zoning regulations,” said Councilman Smiley. “As technology advances, it is necessary that we adapt to new challenges that impact our community. There have been a lot of questions about potential health and environmental impacts, but what has been left out of the conversation is the potential impact on property values. These are just a few of the things that require further study. This amended ordinance seeks to establish a framework that includes a temporary moratorium on data center development and allows a study committee of experts to work toward permanent zoning regulations for such developments, which currently don’t exist in our unified development code. It also requires robust community engagement and progress reports, so the Council and community remain informed as we move forward in this process.”
The amended ordinance is scheduled for a final vote at the Memphis City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 6th, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. The amended ordinance will be available for review on the Memphis City Council website in advance of the meeting.
