The data center fight in Howell Township, New Jersey
As of October 1, 2026, Howell Township, New Jersey has a data center moratorium in force (action taken Aug 18, 2026).
Status is derived, not stored — a pause with a documented end date flips to Expired on its own — and the source is right next to the claim.
Status today
Unanimous ban on hyperscale AI data centers (100+ MW, 1M+ sq ft). 33rd NJ municipality to ban. Amendments planned to distinguish enterprise vs hyperscale facilities
SourceNews
read 2026-09-12
An expiry date is the earliest a pause could have ended — extensions are common, so confirm with the clerk before citing it.
Recent news
- This huge AI data center is seeking another approval — and hundreds just packed a N.J. hearing to fight it
- Developer of huge AI data center delays crucial hearing days after N.J. residents protest
Automated news aggregation, not human-verified — follow each link to the original outlet. Part of the story tracker, 2 headlines archived.
What to do next
- Questions to ask at the hearing — force specific answers onto the record.
- Estimate the impact — electricity, water, and rate pressure for any facility size in New Jersey.
- Model CBA clauses — copy-paste language communities have actually won.
- New Jersey briefing — rates, grid carbon, PUC contacts, and every fight in the state.
Nearby in New Jersey
- Neptune Township (8 mi) — Enactedno end date — permanent
- Jackson Township (10 mi) — Enactedno end date — permanent
- Asbury Park (10 mi) — Enactedno fixed end — runs until a condition is met
- Holmdel (13 mi) — Enactedno end date — permanent
- Red Bank (14 mi) — Enactedno end date — permanent
- Manchester Township (16 mi) — Enactedno end date — permanent
- Plumsted Township (17 mi) — Enactedterm not documented
- Old Bridge (18 mi) — Enactedterm not documented
All 75 tracked actions in New Jersey are on the state page.
As of August 2026 (2m ago) · changes weekly — re-check before citing
Illustrative rather than exhaustive — dozens of localities churn weekly, and this tracks the ones we have read a source for. **Each row carries its own provenance.** Rows showing a verification date link to the ordinance, the enacting body's own page, or a datable report of the vote, and were read on that date. Rows marked *unverified* came from bulk compilation and have not been checked against a primary source — the locality, the year, and the status may all be off. Verify one of those with the town clerk before citing it as precedent. **Expiry is derived, not asserted.** A row with a documented end date flips to *Expired* on its own once that date passes. A time-limited moratorium whose start date was never documented keeps showing as enacted — that is a known gap, not a claim that it is still in force. Moratoriums are also routinely extended, so an expiry date is the earliest it could have ended, not proof that it did.
Part of the U.S. data center moratorium tracker — open data, CC BY 4.0.