Tennessee Localities Pause New Data Center Construction

At least 10 cities and counties block new facilities as national opposition to data centers has nearly doubled since January.

Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Data Centers

Tennessee Localities Pause New Data Center Construction

Live Poll

Would you support a moratorium on new data centers in your county?

Tennessee has 65 operational data centers spread across 10 counties, according to industry research firms DataCenterMap and Baxtel. At least 10 Tennessee cities and counties have enacted moratoriums on new data center construction, which do not affect facilities already in operation.

Why it matters

The state's data center footprint is now the subject of local backlash, with opposition growing in communities across Tennessee in recent years. The debate is expected to keep playing out in city and county planning meetings as officials weigh the industry's long-term role.

Two industry research firms, DataCenterMap and Baxtel, each identified 65 operational data centers in Tennessee, distributed across 10 counties, with Davidson, Shelby and Knox counties holding 28, 13 and nine facilities respectively. The source does not report the long-term environmental or community effects of these facilities, which remain unknown according to local officials.

The players

DataCenterMap

An industry research firm that tracks the locations of operational data centers and identified 65 in Tennessee.

Baxtel

An industry research firm that catalogs data center facilities and independently identified 65 operational data centers in Tennessee.

PF Global

A polling firm that conducted The POLITICO Poll in October finding that American opposition to data centers has nearly doubled since January.

Jacob Kupin

A Metro Council member who said the unknown long-term effects of data centers concern him.

The details

Cities and counties have enacted temporary moratoriums that restrict new data center construction while local governments review the industry's impact. The moratoriums apply only to future projects, so the 65 facilities already operating in Tennessee continue to run. Data centers are large facilities housing computer servers that power cloud computing and online services, and their growing footprint has prompted communities to pause new approvals.

January 2026: Baseline for the measured rise in national opposition to data centers.
October 2026: PF Global conducted The POLITICO Poll on data center opposition.
November 2026: Midterm election, days after the article's publication.

The Tech Race

The POLITICO Poll by PF Global found that American opposition to data centers has nearly doubled since January, and a majority of voters say they would be more likely to oppose a candidate who backs data center construction. Tennessee's moratoriums show that this political pressure is now shaping where the infrastructure behind the AI and cloud race can be built.

Tennessee residents near existing data centers will see no immediate change, since the moratoriums do not affect facilities already in operation. Residents in the 10 cities and counties with pauses will not see new facilities approved while the moratoriums remain in effect, and the source does not say how long they will last.

The takeaway

Watch city and county planning meetings across Tennessee, where the debate over the industry's future is expected to continue. The next concrete signal is whether additional counties adopt moratoriums beyond the current 10.