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2025-2026 Bill 5286: Data Center Moratorium - South Carolina Legislature Online
South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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H. 5286
STATUS INFORMATION
Joint Resolution
Sponsors: Reps. Long, T. Moore, Yow, C. Mitchell, Martin, Edgerton, Chumley, Magnuson, Lawson, Frank, Huff, Crawford, Chapman, Atkinson, Sanders, Burns, Bailey, Guest and Hardee
Companion/Similar bill(s): 5526
Document Path: LC-0324HA26.docx
Introduced in the House on February 26, 2026
Currently residing in the House
Summary: Data Center Moratorium
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date
Body
Action Description with journal page number
2/26/2026
House
Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 15
)
2/26/2026
House
Referred to Committee on
Ways and Means
(
House Journal-page 15
)
3/5/2026
House
Member(s) request name removed as sponsor: Hager
3/31/2026
House
Member(s) request name removed as sponsor: Gilliam
View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/26/2026
A joint Resolution
TO PROHIBIT GOVERNMENTAL
ENTITIES OF THIS STATE, COUNTIES, MUNICIPALITIES, OR POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS
FROM GRANTING FINAL APPROVAL FOR APPLICATIONS OR PERMITS FOR, OR INCENTIVES OR
OTHER REQUESTS RELATED TO, NEW DATA CENTERS UNTIL JANUARY 1, 2028, AND TO DEFINE
"DATA CENTER."
B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
S
ECTION 1. No
governmental entity of this State, county, municipality, or a political
subdivision thereof, shall grant final approval for any applications or permits
for, or incentives or other requests related to, a new data center until
January 1, 2028. This includes, but is not limited to, rezoning, special
exceptions, special use permits, building permits, site plans, plan of
development for siting, economic incentives, fee in lieu of taxes, or any other
form of incentive. For purposes of this section, "data center" means a facility
whose primary services are the storage, management, and processing of digital
data and is used to house (i) computer and network systems, including
associated components such as servers, network equipment and appliances,
telecommunications, and data storage systems; (ii) systems for monitoring and
managing infrastructure performance; (iii) equipment used for the
transformation, transmission, distribution, or management of at least one
megawatt of capacity of electrical power and cooling, including substations,
uninterruptible power supply systems, all electrical plant equipment, and
associated air handlers; (iv) internet-related equipment and services; (v) data
communications connections; (vi) environmental controls; (vii) fire protection
systems; and (viii) security systems and services.
S
ECTION 2. This joint resolution takes effect
upon approval by the Governor.
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This web page was last updated on February 26, 2026 at 11:21 AM