Multiple Utah counties have hit the brakes on new data center projects, and the growing wave of local moratoriums is heading toward a statewide showdown when lawmakers convene in January.

Grand County commissioners unanimously approved spending up to $5,000 on Nov. 4 to hire Sunrise Engineering to draft rules exploring two paths: banning data centers to the extent state law allows, or permitting only smaller facilities, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. As we reported Nov. 6, the data center industry is already facing headwinds nationally.

Grand County's move comes before the Jan. 3 expiration of a 180-day temporary land use regulation, approved July 7, that paused the acceptance and approval of data center applications while the county develops permanent standards. The county's land use code does not yet define data centers or set rules specifically for them.

County spokesperson Melisa Jeffers said Sunrise Engineering expects to deliver draft options within two weeks. Planning commission review, public hearings and county commission consideration will follow, though no dates had been set as of Nov. 5.

Salt Lake County already paused applications

Closer to Draper, Salt Lake County is further along. The Salt Lake County Council voted unanimously in September to direct staff to develop new data center regulations for unincorporated areas and paused consideration of new facilities there, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Those unincorporated areas include the Oquirrh foothills, the Cottonwood Canyons and a sliver of land northeast of the airport near the Great Salt Lake.

The resolution calls on staff to evaluate all land use options available under state law, including conditional use permit requirements and utility consumption limits. The County Council is expected to review the ordinance by mid-February, after public hearings and review by both the mountainous planning commission and the Salt Lake County planning commission.

Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said the county will continue to advocate for responsible growth. Council member Natalie Pinkney called the resolution the start of a process that will include the planning commissions and the public.

Grand County commissioners split on approach

Grand County Planning Commissioner Robert O'Brien favored an outright prohibition, arguing that using digital services does not obligate the county to host the facilities that support them. He raised concerns about resource demands and compatibility with other land uses.

"I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing to say no to certain things," O'Brien said.

Planning Commissioner Randy Day took the opposite view, favoring conditions under which facilities could operate if developers demonstrate adequate water and power supplies.

"If you can prove you can do it and get the power to it, God bless," Day said.

Planning commissioners also discussed noise, lighting, building footprints and distances from neighboring uses. They disagreed about whether the county could legally prohibit data centers under state law.

Statewide momentum building

Grand County and Salt Lake County are not alone. Cache County passed a 180-day moratorium on data centers, and Box Elder County did the same after the controversial Stratos data center project drew fierce public opposition there, the Tribune reported. The Stratos project, proposed to cover some 20,000 acres near the northern tip of the Great Salt Lake, was advanced through the Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA), a state agency that can bypass local land use rules within certain project boundaries.

The political fallout was swift. Senate President Stuart Adams, who had voted to advance the Stratos project as MIDA chair, lost his Republican primary in June, Utah Public Radio reported. Two Box Elder County commissioners who voted for the project also lost their seats.

Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters at his Aug. 20 news conference to expect efforts to change the approval process and additional data center regulation when lawmakers return to the Capitol for the 2027 session, which starts Jan. 20, KUER reported.

Why Draper residents should pay attention

Draper sits at the Point of the Mountain on the Salt Lake–Utah County line. The Point, a 600-plus-acre master-planned community on the former state prison site, broke ground June 29 on a $2.3 billion first phase. The development anchors one of the most significant growth zones on the Wasatch Front.

Salt Lake County's data center pause applies to unincorporated county land, not to incorporated cities like Draper. Whether Draper City has its own data center regulations or has discussed adopting any could not be confirmed from available public records.

The 2027 legislative session beginning Jan. 20 could set new statewide rules on data center approvals, water use disclosures and MIDA's authority. Grand County's temporary moratorium expires Jan. 3.