Last Updated on March 24, 2026 8:34 am
BOONE — The Boone Town Council voted unanimously Monday night to enact a one-year moratorium on data center construction within town limits, as nearly 100 residents packed the meeting in support of the measure.
The 5-0 vote came after Mayor Dalton George introduced the item and steered it through a public hearing process that began earlier this month. George said the moratorium will give the town time to develop regulations and prohibitions to prevent data centers from coming to Boone — facilities he and others have argued would strain infrastructure, drain water resources, and harm the environment and neighboring communities.
The ordinance bans the development of data centers and cryptocurrency mining operations within town limits for one year. George said the pause will allow officials to study the environmental and economic impacts of the rapidly expanding industry before developers come seeking approval.
MountainTrue, Watauga Riverkeeper, and Upper New River Keeper were among the environmental advocacy organizations credited by Mayor George with supporting the effort.
Also Monday, the Watauga County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to schedule a public hearing on a potential county-wide data center moratorium. That hearing is set for Tuesday, April 21.
The moves by both the Town of Boone and Watauga County come as municipalities across North Carolina and the nation have been taking similar steps to pause data center development while studying its impacts.
