DeKalb County GA Extends Data Center Moratorium Through March 2027 After Rejecting Industry-Backed Regulations

DeKalb County, GA commissioners voted July 7, 2026 to extend the county’s data-center moratorium through March 30, 2027, after a June 23 vote unexpectedly rejected proposed industry-backed zoning text amendments and sent regulators back to draft. The extension directs the CEO to convene Public Safety, Transportation, Roads and Drainage, and Public Health departments to assess data-center impacts before any new regulations are adopted. DeKalb (population 759,000, metro Atlanta) is one of the densest data-center markets in the Southeast; the moratorium now covers new development through at least Q1 2027. Capital B Atlanta frames the fight as part of a growing Georgia backlash — the same week, Douglas County voted 4-1 to block a 700-acre EdgeConneX campus (2026-07-07–douglas-county-ga-blocks-edgeconnex-700-acre-data-center-campus).

This extends the county/city-level datacenter moratorium wave already tracked through Loudon County, TN (2026-06-30–loudon-county-tn-six-month-data-center-moratorium), Linn County, IA (2026-07-01–linn-county-ia-18-month-data-center-moratorium-vote), and Charlotte, NC (2026-06-08–charlotte-city-council-150-day-datacenter-moratorium) — with Georgia now producing two simultaneous county-level rejections in the same week, both along the Atlanta-metro fiber/power corridor.