# Fort Collins Council Votes 5-1 to Halt New Data Center Applications, Moratorium Due Oct. 20

- **Publisher:** FoCo Observer — independent local news for Fort Collins and Northern Colorado
- **Published:** Oct 7, 2026, 8:54 PM MDT (2026-10-07T20:54:28.13678-06:00)
- **Section:** Local-government
- **Canonical URL:** https://foco-observer.com/fort-collins/fort-collins-council-votes-5-1-to-halt-new-data/

The Fort Collins City Council voted 5-1 Tuesday night to direct city staff to present a temporary moratorium on data centers at its October 20 meeting, and to stop accepting new development or permit applications for large data centers in the meantime.[^1][^2][^3]

Resolution 2026-117 covers data centers proposed as a primary use, as well as accessory data centers with a proposed peak electrical demand of more than 10 megawatts. Staff will propose a six-month moratorium, which the resolution states is intended to take effect retroactively from Tuesday's adoption. Council may adjust the demand threshold or add other criteria when the moratorium comes back for consideration.[^1]

Data centers are not currently an allowed primary use in Fort Collins, and the city's Land Use Code contains no data center regulations. The resolution's recitals cite concerns raised nationwide over water and electricity consumption, utility rate increases, and environmental and compatibility issues such as noise, light, and heat. City staff has been researching data centers and preparing the moratorium since August.[^1]

The direction followed council discussion of the potential impact of data centers on the city's resources and environment, with members weighing economic growth against environmental protection and community resources.[^3]

[^1]: https://mccmeetingspublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/fortcollco-meet-d68c27d21cce48b983d338912f712f0f/ITEM-Attachment-001-1e6c8da0df974874b5716af11c9fff4d.pdf
[^2]: https://meetings.municode.com/adaHtmlDocument?cc=FORTCOLLCO&me=d68c27d21cce48b983d338912f712f0f&ip=true
[^3]: https://reflect-vod-fcgov.cablecast.tv/CablecastPublicSite/show/3065

## Sources

- [https://meetings.municode.com/adaHtmlDocument?cc=FORTCOLLCO&me=d68c27d21cce48b983d338912f712f0f&ip=true](https://meetings.municode.com/adaHtmlDocument?cc=FORTCOLLCO&me=d68c27d21cce48b983d338912f712f0f&ip=true)
- [https://meetings.municode.com/adaHtmlDocument?cc=FORTCOLLCO&me=52a3661761054a919d54eec6fc558ff3&ip=true](https://meetings.municode.com/adaHtmlDocument?cc=FORTCOLLCO&me=52a3661761054a919d54eec6fc558ff3&ip=true)
- [https://meetings.municode.com/adaHtmlDocument?cc=FORTCOLLCO&me=d2650790b0bd473b957ff2b78b58a288&ip=true](https://meetings.municode.com/adaHtmlDocument?cc=FORTCOLLCO&me=d2650790b0bd473b957ff2b78b58a288&ip=true)

## More from FoCo Observer

- [This story (web)](https://foco-observer.com/fort-collins/fort-collins-council-votes-5-1-to-halt-new-data/)
- [Local-government section](https://foco-observer.com/section/local-government/)
- [Front page](https://foco-observer.com/)
- [All pages for LLMs](https://foco-observer.com/llms.txt)
- [News feed (RSS)](https://foco-observer.com/rss.xml)