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Last Update: 10/27/2026 at 5:34 AM EST
New Jersey Data Center Restrictions
Coverage from Scarinci Hollenbeck, City of Bayonne, and others
Across New Jersey, municipalities have adopted or considered zoning bans and temporary pauses on data-center development, while state officials have debated broader standards for siting and oversight.
The measures reflect concerns about electricity costs and grid capacity, water use, pollution, noise, and pressure on local infrastructure; proposals have also addressed transparency, developer contributions, and community benefits. At the same time, supporters of development point to potential jobs, tax revenue, and reuse of industrial sites. Together, these local and statewide responses raise questions about how data centers should be approved and who should bear their costs.
Looking Back
166 Day Timeline
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History
10/23/2026
The reported scale of local restrictions has grown to more than 100 municipalities, while a diesel spill at Equinix’s Secaucus facility has added a concrete environmental incident to the debate. State measures are also moving beyond a proposed framework toward addressing resource reporting and grid-cost allocation.
All Articles55 articles
Important
Hexa Builders sued Monroe Township in New Jersey in June 2026 after a township-wide ban blocked a proposed Williamstown data center.
7/29/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Bayonne City Council and Mayor Sharon Nadrowski enacted Ordinance O-26-74 on August 12 and 13, banning new data centers throughout Bayonne, New Jersey.
8/14/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Cranbury and Colts Neck approved data center bans last week in New Jersey to limit local impacts, while three other towns introduced proposed restrictions.
10/20/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Raritan Township Mayor Brad Perry and the Township Committee unanimously adopted a zoning ordinance prohibiting data centers throughout Raritan Township, New Jersey.
9/18/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Hexa Builders sued Monroe Township in Gloucester County on June 5, challenging the municipality's April data-center ban and seeking to revive an approved project.
8/1/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Bayonne City Council introduced a July 22 ordinance that would classify data centers as non-permitted uses in all zoning districts in Bayonne, New Jersey.
7/24/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
National Land Developers LLC sued Andover Township in New Jersey Superior Court on July 10 to overturn a township-wide data center ban adopted after resident protests.
7/20/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Jersey City introduced Ordinance 26-057 on July 15 to remove data centers as principal permitted uses in the Industrial District ahead of an Aug. 19 vote.
7/20/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Hexa Builders sued Monroe Township after local ordinances took effect in May 2026 to ban a proposed data center at 3043 Black Horse Pike in Williamstown, New Jersey.
7/17/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
National Land Developers LLC sued Andover Township in New Jersey Superior Court on July 10 to overturn a township-wide AI data center ban.
7/20/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Bayonne officials and Mayor Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski banned data center construction in Bayonne, New Jersey, after local opposition campaigns cited grid costs, pollution, water use, and noise.
8/14/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Neptune Township Committee voted July 13 to amend land use rules to prohibit data centers and DHS detention centers amid NJ resident opposition over electricity and water impacts.
7/14/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Newark Municipal Council approved a resolution supporting a temporary citywide data-center moratorium to study infrastructure, electricity, water, and zoning impacts.
9/9/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Manchester TownshipManchester Township Council introduced a data-center prohibition ordinance on August 24, 2026, in Manchester Township, New Jersey, with a public hearing scheduled for September 14.
8/26/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
North Brunswick, East Brunswick, and Stafford Township adopted data-center bans in August 2026 as New Jersey municipalities expanded local restrictions amid community opposition and development lawsuits.
8/25/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Hexa Builders LLC sued Monroe Township, New Jersey, in federal court on July 6 over April ordinances banning an AI data center and a May 12 incomplete application ruling.
7/29/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
National Land Developers sued Andover Township, New Jersey after the township introduced, rescinded, and then banned a proposed 248 Stickles Pond Road data center.
7/27/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Millville, New Jersey, banned data centers by ordinance, stopping the 1.4 GW Millville Energy & Data Center Campus proposal.
5/20/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Interesting
Bayonne City Council approved a data-center ban 5-0, and Mayor Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski signed the measure Thursday in Bayonne, New Jersey.
8/14/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Millville, New Jersey commissioners voted to ban data centers within city limits Tuesday, blocking a proposed 2.6 million-square-foot facility.
5/20/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Neptune Township residents voted on July 13 in New Jersey to ban AI data centers, linking local development opposition with immigration-enforcement concerns.
8/8/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Jersey City Council unanimously approved a ban on artificial intelligence data centers in the city industrial district on Wednesday, citing electricity, water, and limited-job concerns.
8/23/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
E. Kahn Development sued Montgomery Township, New Jersey, on July 31 to overturn a June 18 ordinance banning data centers at the former Kenvue campus.
8/14/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Hexa Builders sued Monroe Township, New Jersey, in early June after township officials rejected a proposed data center and enacted a townshipwide ban.
7/30/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Jersey City, New Jersey, introduced Ordinance 26-057 on July 15, 2026 to ban data centers as principal uses of industrial property, with a final vote set for August 19.
7/17/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Monroe Township, New Jersey, banned data center development, and Hexa Builders sued local officials in response to denial of a 3043 Black Horse Pike project.
7/17/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Jersey City Planning Board amended land use ordinances to prohibit cyber hotels and data centers in the industrial district and clarified that warehouses exclude data centers.
7/12/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Asbury Park adopted Resolution 2026-264 on June 10, 2026, urging New Jersey to pause industrial AI data center construction during zoning-code review.
6/16/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Manchester Township, New Jersey, adopted a zoning ordinance restricting data center siting and adding setbacks, building limits, buffers, and decommissioning controls before proposals arrived.
6/15/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Sayreville Borough Council considered an 18-month data center moratorium on May 26 to support zoning study, with debate over energy use, noise, and tax revenue.
5/28/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Andover Township, New Jersey scheduled a May 12 special meeting to consider ordinances repealing and banning data centers across the township.
5/11/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Asbury Park, Red Bank, Warren Township, and Sayreville in New Jersey advanced AI data center bans after concerns about electricity, water, noise, and air pollution.
6/22/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Residents opposed a proposed Mt. Royal Data Storage Facility in East Greenwich Township, New Jersey, and the township adopted a data center development ban after American Tower Company withdrew its application.
6/12/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Andover Township officials in Sussex County, New Jersey plan a township-wide data center ban after community opposition to a potential HPC project at 248 Stickles Pond Road.
5/12/2026 • Permitting & Regulation • General
Climate advocates urged Governor Sherrill and New Jersey lawmakers to impose a statewide data center moratorium after an Equinix diesel spill entered Anderson Creek in Secaucus.
9/14/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Heidi Yeh argues for a temporary New Jersey data center moratorium modelled on the 1978 Pinelands development pause, citing energy, water, and community impact concerns.
7/19/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Climate Revolution Action Network reported this year that 110 New Jersey municipalities have banned data centers, amid a campaign for a statewide three-year pause.
10/19/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Manchester TownshipManchester Township Mayor Joseph Hankins is seeking a zoning ordinance to block future data-center construction in Manchester Township, where no application is currently pending.
8/13/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Nutley residents challenged a proposed 65 MW data center near Route 3 after a zoning approval sign appeared, while officials reported no pending application.
7/12/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Red Bank Borough Council voted June 11 to impose a temporary ban on data centers and urged New Jersey to pause statewide construction until oversight laws exist.
6/15/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
American Tower Company withdrew a proposed 16,000-square-foot Mt. Royal data center application in East Greenwich Township, New Jersey, after local opposition led officials to ban future development.
6/11/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Lacey Township officials in New Jersey debated a potential data-center ban on May 28 after Governor Mikie Sherrill announced new accountability rules for AI data centers.
6/1/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Andover Township Committee voted May 28 to ban data centers by amending zoning codes after Land Use Board review and public hearings in New Jersey.
5/29/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Governor Mikie Sherrill announced a statewide data center impacts plan as New Jersey municipalities adopted zoning bans over energy and water concerns.
5/28/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Cherry Hill Mayor David Fleischer says a New Jersey township ban on data centers is underway as Governor Mikie Sherrill proposes statewide electricity and water-use disclosure rules.
5/27/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Millville commissioners voted May 19 to ban data centers and cancel a proposed 2.6 million square foot facility following community opposition citing power demand and water and infrastructure concerns.
5/20/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
New Jersey groups urged Gov. Mikie Sherrill in a moratorium request covering 20 MW-plus data center approvals and construction amid power, water, and rate concerns.
5/18/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Monroe Township officials in Gloucester County, New Jersey, denied Hexa Builder LLC's warehouse-and-data-center proposal after May 13 ordinances banning data centers took effect.
5/14/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
New Jersey advocacy groups asked Governor Sherrill in 2026 to impose an emergency moratorium on new data center approvals, citing power, water, PFAS, and neighborhood impacts.
5/14/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Andover Township officials in New Jersey plan two ordinances, including a ban on AI data centers, after public backlash against a former airport site proposal.
5/10/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
Andover Township, New Jersey, plans Tuesday’s introduction of ordinances to restrict AI data centers after a public meeting altercation and subsequent resident backlash.
5/10/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
About 300 residents opposed an Andover Township, New Jersey AI data center on former Newton airport land as a May 19 Land Use Board reading approaches.
5/9/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
A shoving match between police and a citizen occurred at an Andover Township public meeting as New Jersey residents opposed a potential AI data center proposal tied to former airport land.
5/8/2026 • Community & Local Opposition • General
New Jersey community and environmental groups asked Governor Mikie Sherrill for a moratorium on large data centers pending stronger state rules.
5/18/2026 • Policy & Utility Planning • General
Additional
Equinix reported a 5,500-gallon diesel spill at its NY2 data center in Secaucus, New Jersey, on Sept. 11, prompting remediation and regulatory scrutiny.
9/14/2026 • Technology & Operations • General