Littleton adopts six-month pause on new data-center applications
The council voted 7-0 to pause new data-center applications while staff studies possible land-use rules; the six-month term begins when the ordinance takes effect.
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Littleton City Council adopted a six-month moratorium on new data-center applications Nov. 3, voting 7-0 on second reading of Ordinance 22-2026. The pause begins when the ordinance takes effect, not with the vote, the council’s proceedings show.
The moratorium bars the city from accepting, processing or approving applications for rezoning, site plans, subdivisions, use approvals, building permits and other development approvals to establish, construct or expand a data center. It lasts six months from its effective date, unless an ordinance regulating data centers takes effect sooner. The council can also extend or end the pause early by ordinance, under the measure’s terms.
The ordinance defines data centers as buildings primarily used to house servers, data storage and related equipment for off-site users. It includes colocation, cloud-computing and cryptocurrency-mining facilities, but excludes server rooms and similar equipment primarily serving another use on the same property. Projects with vested property rights and ordinary repairs or maintenance that do not increase floor area, electrical capacity or water demand are exempt.
Staff told the council that no data-center applications were pending and said its study will examine energy and water use, noise, air quality, infrastructure and fiscal impacts. Staff cited potential electricity and water demand, cooling noise, generator emissions and the scale of data-center buildings as concerns, while also acknowledging that a pause could delay investment and tax revenue. At the earlier council discussion, the city attorney said existing code allows data centers in business centers and industrial parks, and as a conditional use in corridor-mixed districts; staff said the code lacks a distinct use category with tailored standards.
City ordinances take effect no less than seven days after publication following final passage. The city’s legal notices do not give the publication date for this ordinance, so its exact effective and expiration dates are not specified there, under the city’s stated rule.