Scope
Seattle Ordinance 127447 (Council Bill 121214) imposes an emergency moratorium on filing, accepting, processing or approving applications to establish data centers, expand them, or change use to data centers, as principal or accessory uses, in all zones in the city, with an exception for expansions of 20 MVA or less at facilities operating on the effective date. It also adds a zoning definition under which a data center is a facility with capacity in excess of 20 megavolt-amperes (MVA), so smaller facilities are outside the moratorium.
- Geographic scope
- Seattle, Washington
- Jurisdiction
- Local
- Authority type
- Local government
- Issuing authority
- Seattle City Council
Dates
- Adopted
- 9 June 2026
- Effective
- 11 June 2026
- Scheduled expiration
- 11 June 2027
- Ended
- Not recorded as ended
- Completion condition
- The moratorium runs 365 days from its 11 June 2026 effective date and then expires automatically unless extended, including by six-month renewals, or terminated sooner by the council. No calendar end date is printed; the stored 11 June 2027 is computed from the 365-day term.
- Source document
- The source page states no document date
- Last checked
- 3 October 2026 (earlier than tracker date 5 October 2026; not an automatic status change)
Summary
Seattle's City Council passed Ordinance 127447 as an emergency ordinance on 9 June 2026, and the Mayor approved it on 11 June 2026, when it took effect. It stops the city from accepting or approving applications to establish, expand or change use to data centers, defined as facilities above 20 MVA, in all zones for 365 days, with a narrow exception for expansions of 20 MVA or less at operating facilities. It is a temporary pause, not a permanent prohibition.
What this does not establish
- Work-plan dates in the ordinance are not an expiration.
- Seattle City Light's separate large data center load ordinance is a different instrument.
- The stored end date, 11 June 2027, is computed (11 June 2026 plus 365 days); the ordinance prints no calendar end date, and a renewal or earlier termination would change it.
Unresolved questions
- Whether the council renews the moratorium or adopts permanent data center zoning before the term ends.
Relationships
Supersession means a later instrument replaces the earlier legal effect. Repeal links identify the repeal instrument and the measure it ends. A later implementation or related letter is not treated as a replacement unless the record says so.
- No related action is recorded.
Sources
https://clerk.seattle.gov/~archives/Ordinances/Ord_127447.pdf
- Current official legislative history (Legistar data) current official status reviewed 3 October 2026