Nashville ordinance & moratorium
No project stage is auto-generated. What follows is the
timeline of record — every entry dated, cited and linked to its source.
Timeline of record
- Sep 16MORATORIUM·Shelby Co., TNThe Memphis City Council postponed a vote on data center regulation moratorium until October 6, citing a need for more information about development impacts. Council members discussed potential tax revenue and addressed neighborhood concerns about the projects.Action News 5 · Shelby Co., TN · also at Action News 5, Action News 5
- Sep 11VOTE·Davidson Co., TNThe Nashville NAACP and Stand Up Nashville held a town hall Thursday featuring data center experts to discuss impacts from facilities like xAI's Memphis hyperscale center. Speakers detailed air, water and noise pollution concerns in affected communities, with state Rep. Aftyn Behn planning legislation to pause data center tax breaks next session.WSMV · Davidson Co., TN
- Sep 9NEWS·Davidson Co., TNA Nashville Democratic representative is proposing a three-year freeze on state tax exemptions for data centers and requiring the Tennessee Department of Revenue to report the money the state loses through these breaks and disclose which facilities hold exemption certificates.Tennessee Lookout · Davidson Co., TN · also at The Tennessee Tribune
- Sep 8MORATORIUM·Walton Co., GATennessee State Rep. Aftyn Behn has proposed legislation to pause new data center tax exemptions for three years and require reporting on their financial impact, citing lack of transparency about revenue loss and grants. The state Department of Revenue confirmed 25 active exemption certificates statewide but does not track revenue lost or grants awarded.WZTV · Walton Co., GA · also at WTVC
- Sep 8MORATORIUM·Sumner Co., TN
- Sep 1VOTE·Tennesseethenerdstash.com · Tennessee
- Aug 26MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNHeadline onlyThe Real Deal · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 26LAWSUIT·Davidson Co., TNYellowhammer News · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 25MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNlocal21news.com · Davidson Co., TN · also at WJAC
- Aug 25MORATORIUM·Sumner Co., TNThe Gallatin Planning Commission has recommended the City Council approve a 12-month moratorium on new data centers, citing neighbor concerns about noise and utility impacts and the lack of existing regulations or restrictions on such facilities beyond zoning requirements.WZTV · Sumner Co., TN
- Aug 18MORATORIUM·Shelby Co., TNA Memphis City Council committee advanced a proposal for a 12-month moratorium on data center development, pausing rezoning applications, permits, and approvals. The legislation drew supporters citing water resource protection and opponents questioning the pause's length and necessity.
- Aug 18MORATORIUM·TennesseeThe Tennessee Valley Authority will discuss a special electricity rate for large industrial customers, including data centers, at its Thursday board meeting. Data centers comprised 10% of TVA's electric load last year and have raised concerns about rising consumer bills and the utility's reliance on fossil fuel plants.WPLN News · Tennessee
- Aug 18MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNnashvillebanner.com · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 17MORATORIUM·Shelby Co., TNThree Memphis City Council members are proposing a temporary moratorium on data center development to study effects on water, utilities and neighborhoods. The council will consider the ordinance Tuesday and discuss allocating $3.3 million in tax revenue from an existing data center toward community projects including housing assistance and environmental monitoring.thecentersquare.com · Shelby Co., TN · also at Johnson City Press, The Center Square, The Black Chronicle
- Aug 17MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNDC Blox, an Atlanta-based digital infrastructure company, filed a federal lawsuit against Metro Nashville on August 11 after the city implemented a temporary moratorium on data center permits and adopted stricter development standards. The company claims the measures, including a proposed eminent domain seizure of its zoo-area site, constitute a targeted attack on its lawful property use in violation of constitutional protections.The Cool Down · Davidson Co., TN · also at Yahoo
- Aug 13MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNDC Blox, an Atlanta-based IT consulting group, filed a federal lawsuit against Nashville's Metro City Council over a July moratorium on data center development. The company claims the regulations violated its constitutional rights and unfairly targeted its proposed facility near the Nashville Zoo, which had met prior approval standards.Spectrum News · Davidson Co., TN · also at Spectrum News
- Aug 13MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNDC BLOX is suing Metro Nashville, claiming the agency wrongfully halted its data center project near the Nashville Zoo despite the company having secured permits and development rights. The company alleges Metro passed new rules and a moratorium on data center permits, then delayed its application review while allowing another project to proceed.Rutherford Source · Davidson Co., TN · also at Wilson County Source, davidsoncountysource.com
- Aug 12MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNHeadline onlyWSMV · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 12MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNDC Blox filed a federal lawsuit against Metro Nashville, arguing the city unlawfully halted permit processing for its proposed data center near the Nashville Zoo under a temporary moratorium, claiming prior vesting and alleging violations of due process and constitutional protections.WSMV · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 12MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNHeadline onlyState Affairs Pro · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 12MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNDC BLOX, an Atlanta-based digital infrastructure company, filed a federal lawsuit against Nashville's Metro government over a data center permit moratorium approved in July. The company alleges the temporary permitting pause and subsequent regulations constitute a targeted attack on its proposed facility near the Nashville Zoo, where it purchased a 23.49-acre property for $23 million.Nashville Scene · Davidson Co., TN · also at Nashville Post
- Aug 12MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 12MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNDCB Nashville, a subsidiary of DC BLOX, sued Metro Nashville over a July data center moratorium and an ordinance restricting data center locations near schools, churches, daycares, and zoos. The company claims Metro is refusing to process permits for its planned facility on Grassmere Road property purchased for $23 million, alleging the actions violate constitutional protections.The Center Square · Davidson Co., TN · also at The Black Chronicle, The Advocate & Democrat
- Aug 12MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNDC Blox filed a federal lawsuit against Metro Nashville, alleging the city illegally implemented zoning changes and a data center moratorium to block the company's planned facility near the Nashville Zoo, which had already secured necessary permits.Nashville Banner · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 11LAWSUIT·Davidson Co., TNNashville's Metro Council voted 27-5 to authorize the city to acquire land where DC BLOX plans to build a data center next to Nashville Zoo at Grassmere through negotiation or condemnation. The move, described as the most aggressive against a data center project by an American city, follows objections from over half a million petition signers and celebrities including Brad Paisley and Jack White.TechRadar · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 8LAWSUIT·Davidson Co., TNNashville's Metro Council approved a bill Tuesday authorizing the city to use eminent domain to acquire land near the Nashville Zoo that a data center company purchased for $23 million, though Council member Johnston emphasized this reserves the possibility rather than guarantees action.News Channel 5 Nashville · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 6VOTE·Davidson Co., TNTom's Hardware · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 5LAWSUIT·Davidson Co., TNNashville's Metro Council voted to authorize the city to use eminent domain to acquire land owned by DC Blox, which had planned to build a data center near the Nashville Zoo. Metro would likely pay at least $37 million under state law, though the company purchased it for approximately $23 million, with potential court involvement if negotiations fail.
- Aug 5VOTE·Davidson Co., TNHeadline onlyCoStar · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 5NEWS·Davidson Co., TNHeadline onlyWPLN News · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 5VOTE·Davidson Co., TNMetro Nashville's council approved legislation authorizing the city to negotiate with data center company DC Blox for purchase of a property near the Nashville Zoo, with eminent domain as an option if talks fail. The city could repurpose the land for government operations and office space.Williamson Source · Davidson Co., TN · also at Rutherford Source
- Aug 5MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNMetro Nashville Council voted to authorize city staff to acquire property near the Nashville Zoo designated for a proposed DC BLOX data center, allowing officials to begin purchase negotiations or pursue eminent domain proceedings.
- Aug 5VOTE·Davidson Co., TNHeadline onlyWKRN News 2 · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 5MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNMetro Council approved legislation authorizing the city to acquire property where DC Blox plans to build a data center adjacent to the Nashville Zoo through negotiation or eminent domain if needed. The city would pay at least the market value of approximately $37.4 million for the property.WSMV · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 5LAWSUIT·Davidson Co., TNMetro Council voted 27-5 to authorize the city to use eminent domain to acquire more than 23 acres near the Nashville Zoo that data center company DC Blox purchased for $23 million. The city plans to negotiate a price with DC Blox for the property, which the company intended to develop into a 10-megawatt data center.News Channel 5 Nashville · Davidson Co., TN · also at News Channel 5 Nashville
- Aug 4MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNMetro Council is expected to vote Tuesday on authorizing the city to acquire a 23.49-acre property beside the Nashville Zoo where DC BLOX plans a controversial 10-megawatt data center through negotiated purchase or eminent domain.WZTV · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 4MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNThe Metro Council will take a final vote Tuesday on legislation to potentially use eminent domain to acquire property next to the Nashville Zoo for a data center developer. The proposal has 14 sponsors and passed its second reading 27-3, though some council members raised concerns about costs and legal risks.Nashville Banner · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 3MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNSouthern Alliance for Clean Energy · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 3LAWSUIT·Davidson Co., TNMetro Council is scheduled for a final vote Tuesday on Mayor Freddie O'Connell's proposal to use eminent domain to acquire a property where DC Blox plans to build a data center adjacent to the Nashville Zoo. The company closed a $23 million purchase of the site and applied for a building permit despite Metro's legislative efforts to stop the project.Axios · Davidson Co., TN
- Aug 2VOTE·TennesseeCountry music legend Willie Nelson opposes data centers coming to his hometown of Abbott, Texas, calling them "loud, water-thieving, light-polluting" threats to rural communities and farmland. Fellow musician Brad Paisley has similarly opposed a proposed data center near Nashville's zoo, citing environmental and aesthetic concerns.WSMV · Tennessee
- Aug 1MORATORIUM·TennesseeThe Trump administration announced a $100 billion privately funded artificial intelligence data center campus at Kentucky's former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a Cold War-era uranium enrichment facility. The project is expected to create approximately 8,000 construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs, with Brookfield Asset Management developing the campus and NextEra Energy building power infrastructure.WBMA · Tennessee · also at mynbc15.com
- Jul 24MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNThe Nashville Zoo rejected a memorandum of understanding from DC Blox that would have limited the proposed data center to an initial 69,000-square-foot facility and included a land gift to the zoo. The zoo's board unanimously voted down the proposal, citing safety concerns about operating a data center near vulnerable species and neighboring communities.Nashville Scene · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 24MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNNashville's Metro Council advanced legislation Tuesday that would allow the city to seize an Atlanta-based company's property via eminent domain to prevent a data center construction next to the Nashville Zoo, which claims the facility's noise would stress endangered clouded leopards.Reason Magazine · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 23VOTE·Davidson Co., TNNashville Zoo's board unanimously rejected a DC Blox proposal to build a 69,000-square-foot data center adjacent to the zoo. Zoo leadership cited concerns about potential effects on animals, schools and nearby neighborhoods.WSMV · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 23MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNThe Nashville Zoo announced a temporary moratorium on development permits through December 1 following more than 562,000 petition signatures opposing a proposed nearby data center. Mayor O'Connell filed condemnation legislation citing Metro's legitimate need for the adjacent property.Local 3 News · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 23ZONING·Davidson Co., TNNashville Banner · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 23MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNNashville's Metro Council approved a pause on new data center permits through December and added zoning regulations for noise, water use, and construction distances from schools. The actions follow mounting opposition to a DC Blox facility proposed near the Nashville Zoo, which Mayor Freddie O'Connell is seeking to block through eminent domain.The Cool Down · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 22MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNNashville's Metropolitan Council approved a moratorium on data center development through December 10 and enacted regulations banning such facilities within 100 feet of churches, daycares, schools, or zoos, and large data centers within 2,640 feet of these locations. The action followed opposition to a proposed 70,000-square-foot facility near the Nashville Zoo.The Black Chronicle · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 22MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNHeadline onlyNews Channel 5 Nashville · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 22MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNNashville's Metro Council unanimously approved new zoning regulations for data centers, including distance requirements from sensitive locations and a temporary permit freeze through December. Whether the rules apply to a proposed DC BLOX facility near the Nashville Zoo remains unclear since permits were already submitted.News Channel 5 Nashville · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 22NEWS·Davidson Co., TNHeadline onlyWSMV · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 22MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNNashville's Metro Council passed its first data center regulations, which restrict facility locations based on size and energy use, limit noise levels, and constrain on-site fossil fuel generation. The council also implemented a moratorium on new data center permits until December 1 to refine policies and study environmental impacts.WPLN News · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 22MORATORIUM·AlabamaSenator Tommy Tuberville told an Alabama delegation in London that elementary school students will begin learning to use artificial intelligence next year, saying no other state is implementing such a program. Tuberville also expressed support for bringing data centers to Alabama and said his administration has hired a group to train teachers in AI instruction.AL.com · Alabama
- Jul 22MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNNashville's Metro Council passed its first data-center regulations Tuesday, including a comprehensive zoning bill that bans facilities larger than 500,000 square feet and restricts their locations to heavy industrial zones at least half a mile from schools and homes. The council also approved a temporary construction moratorium through December and advanced legislation allowing eminent domain seizure of land proposed for a data center near the Nashville Zoo.WSMV · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 22MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNMetro Council approved zoning restrictions banning the largest data centers and creating buffer zones around schools, hospitals, and zoos, along with a moratorium on new construction through December. The council also advanced the mayor's plan to acquire land next to the Nashville Zoo for public use, which could prevent DC Blox's proposed data center project.News Channel 5 Nashville · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 22MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNMetro Nashville unanimously approved comprehensive data center regulations and a temporary moratorium on new development, establishing the county's first zoning framework for such projects. The legislation now goes to Mayor Freddie O'Connell for signature.WZTV · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 22MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNNashville's Metro Council voted Tuesday to establish new data center regulations and implement a permit moratorium through Dec. 1, while advancing Mayor Freddie O'Connell's legislation to use eminent domain to purchase property where DC Blox is developing a data center near the Nashville Zoo.Nashville Banner · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 22MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNDC BLOX has purchased the Grassmere Park property for $23 million, but the proposed data center's fate remains uncertain as Metro Council considers new data center regulations, a temporary moratorium, permit appeals, and the city's potential eminent domain acquisition of the land.WZTV · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 21MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNMetro Council will hold a third and final vote Tuesday on a data center moratorium bill that would ban facilities larger than 500,000 square feet and restrict smaller ones to heavy industrial zones. The vote comes as DC Blox, which recently purchased property near the Nashville Zoo, faces potential restrictions under the new regulations.WSMV · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 21MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNDC BLOX has completed its $23 million purchase of property at Grassmere Park Drive near Nashville Zoo, according to deed records. The acquisition comes as Metro Council prepares to vote on data center regulations and a moratorium on new development.WZTV · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 21MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNDC Blox has scaled back its planned data center near Nashville Zoo, now showing only a 69,200-square-foot, 10-megawatt building on its website instead of the original two-building proposal. The company reduced its estimated capital investment from $1.9 billion to $380 million, citing community feedback as it works through project scope.News Channel 5 Nashville · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 20NEWS·Davidson Co., TNA 100,000-square-foot data center is nearing completion on Brick Church Pike in North Nashville. Neighbors have raised concerns about environmental impacts, water use, noise and school proximity, while Metro Council works to establish guidelines for data centers.News Channel 5 Nashville · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 20MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNNashville's city council will consider data center legislation Tuesday that was amended to remove environmental protections, now allowing unlimited fossil fuel generator use during undefined "emergencies" and at the discretion of the utility company. The original version capped such use at 72 hours.WPLN News · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 20MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNNashville Metro Council will hold final votes this week on three bills addressing data centers: two would restrict noise and water usage, while a third would impose a moratorium on new Davidson County sites until December.
- Jul 20MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNData center company DC Blox has purchased property adjacent to the Nashville Zoo for $23 million, confirmed by the Davidson County Register of Deeds. Metro Council members and Nashville's mayor say they will pursue legislation to restrict data centers and explore using eminent domain to acquire the property for city use.WKRN News 2 · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 20VOTE·Davidson Co., TNDC Blox completed a $23 million purchase of a 23.49-acre property near Nashville Zoo on Thursday, where it plans to build a data center project that has faced public opposition over concerns about noise affecting zoo animals and community objections.Davidson County Source · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 20MORATORIUM·TennesseeEPA Administrator Lee Zeldin criticized New York's statewide pause on new data centers, calling it an easy way to avoid difficult regulatory work. He argued that local governments should evaluate individual projects based on utility costs, grid contributions, and water management rather than imposing blanket bans, as debates over data center expansion intensify in Tennessee.Yahoo · Tennessee
- Jul 18PERMIT·Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 18VOTE·Davidson Co., TNHeadline onlyWSMV · Davidson Co., TN
- Jul 8NEWS·Davidson Co., TN
- Jun 12MORATORIUM·Davidson Co., TNHeadline onlyData Center Dynamics · Davidson Co., TN