Sawyer County zoning committee backs pursuit of 18‑month moratorium on data centers

The Sawyer County Zoning Committee voted to pursue an 18‑month moratorium on data‑center development and to schedule a public hearing in July so staff and legal counsel can draft clearer ordinance language and model regulations.

Zoning administrator Jay Kuzlowski told the committee that the existing draft ordinance could unintentionally sweep in small telecommunications hubs and that counties across Wisconsin are wrestling with how to define and regulate large data centers. He said a moratorium would create time to draft precise rules rather than reacting to an application under ambiguous language.

County legal counsel warned the committee that moratoria and substantive regulation of data centers raise technical statutory questions. She urged careful drafting tied to local impacts so the county’s authority would withstand legal review. "These are not clear at all," she said, summarizing a range of definitional and procedural issues and urging further legal briefing.

Committee members emphasized the need to distinguish small communications facilities from the very large facilities that have driven concern in other jurisdictions. One member said the moratorium should not block routine network infrastructure such as small exchange buildings; the intent is to pause larger, utility‑scale data centers while the county develops standards for siting, screening, and impacts.

The motion to pursue an 18‑month moratorium and prepare ordinance language passed on a voice vote. The committee directed staff to notify towns and to return with proposed moratorium language and an agenda item for a public hearing in July.