Oklahoma City has extended its moratorium on applications and permits for large-scale data centers through Dec. 31, 2027, while officials develop zoning regulations. The pause may end earlier if the council approves new rules, and previously exempted projects can continue through the approval process.

The Oklahoma City Council voted unanimously Tuesday, Nov. 10, to extend a moratorium on applications, rezoning requests and permits for data centers with electrical loads exceeding 75 megawatts, according to The Oklahoman.

At the Oct. 27 council meeting, Holt said he would seek at least a six-month extension past the moratorium's original December 2026 end date, as Free Press OKC reported. The council approved a full year.

City Manager Craig Freeman said the city is working with a hired consultant to decide what municipal codes should change, according to The Oklahoman. Freeman said the moratorium gives staff room to collect more information "and to make sure that we get this right for the community."

The moratorium could end sooner. Freeman and Holt said the ban will remain until the stated date or until the zoning code is updated, whichever comes first, according to The Oklahoman. They also said that if staff still felt they needed more time after a code update, they could maintain the moratorium.

Planning Director Geoff Butler said city staff will research best practices and work with a consultant and community stakeholders to update the zoning code, including creating a specific use unit for data centers, according to a city press release.

Noise fills council chambers

Before the vote, resident Le'Shauhndin Kirkendoll used her public comment time to play data center noise from her phone, FOX 25 reported.

Holt cut in: "This really is a time for comments. I think you've made your point. Are you going to speak anymore? If not, we'll move on."

Kirkendoll told FOX 25 that shortly after she began playing the recording, Holt was "already irritated and annoyed with the noise quality. But that's what our elected officials are wanting to force the constituents to live with for whatever reason."

She said she has been attending council meetings to advocate for residents who cannot make the every-other-Tuesday morning sessions. Kirkendoll said she was glad the moratorium was extended but wants the city to go further.

"I also hope that they implement some type of construction hold, because Oklahoma just needs to pump the brakes a little bit until we can get a bigger picture of what's going on," she told FOX 25.

One data center already approved

The council approved zoning for the city's first hyperscale data center on Oct. 27 in a 6-3 vote, as Free Press OKC reported. Atlanta-based Beltline Energy plans a campus covering nearly 300 acres on the far western edge of Oklahoma City, overlapping with parts of Yukon.

That project was exempted from the original April moratorium because it was already in the development pipeline, according to Free Press OKC. The next step is negotiating a community benefits agreement, which FOX 25 reported is still pending.

Regional pushback

Ward 2 Councilmember James Cooper, a member of the city's legislative committee, suggested the council closely follow state and national policy conversations on data centers and artificial intelligence, according to The Oklahoman. Cooper said guidance on parameters and best practices would help standardize restrictions.

Oklahoma City is not alone in hitting pause. Edmond voted unanimously to extend its own data center moratorium through June 2027, KFOR reported. Yukon voters ousted Mayor Brian Pillmore after he backed a proposed hyperscale data center there, according to The Oklahoman.

The city's consultant-led zoning code review and the Beltline Energy community benefits agreement are both still in progress.