Grand Junction and Mesa County officials are considering temporary moratoriums on data centers as they study the rapidly growing industry and work to determine how future facilities should be regulated. The city mentioned a potential one-year moratorium during a September 14 workshop. Mesa County followed, announcing on September 25 that the Mesa County Commission "will consider a moratorium on applications for data center projects in unincorporated Mesa County" at its September 29 Administrative Public Hearing.
The county's September 29 agenda includes "Consider imposing a temporary Moratorium on the acceptance, processing, and approval of Land Use applications for data center facilities in unincorporated Mesa County, and suspending the negotiation of County inducements for such facilities." This move comes as neither Grand Junction nor Mesa County currently has a formal application for a data center, according to local officials. However, a commercial-construction database contains a listing for a potential 44,765-square-foot data center in Grand Junction.
Data centers house computer servers that store, process, and transmit digital information. While they vary in size, larger facilities can raise local concerns about electricity and water use, noise, backup generators, infrastructure costs, and compatibility with surrounding properties. This prompted local agencies to act, as their current land-use codes do not specifically regulate these types of facilities.
Mesa County is also pursuing data-center regulations through a broader update to its Land Development Code, which governs land-use decisions in unincorporated areas. Community Development Director Greg Moberg told television station KKCO that the county has worked on the rewrite since early 2025. Moberg stated that the existing 2020 code lacks regulations relating to data centers or battery facilities. The proposed code would initially limit data centers and battery facilities to I-1 and I-2 industrial zones, preventing them from being placed in Agricultural, Forestry, and Transitional zones.
Mesa County Commissioner Bobbie Daniel identified data centers as an emerging land use for the county to consider in a September 11 guest column in The Daily Sentinel. Moberg noted that industrially zoned areas represent a relatively small portion of the county, and current available parcels are not large enough for the massive data centers seen in other communities. The Mesa County Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the proposed code on October 15 at 6 p.m., with the Board of County Commissioners scheduled to consider it on November 17 at 1:30 p.m. Both meetings will take place at 544 Rood Ave. in Grand Junction.
For Grand Junction, the proposed one-year moratorium discussed at the City Council’s September 14 workshop aims to give the city time to research how other Colorado communities regulate data centers, evaluate potential effects on electricity and water supplies, coordinate with neighboring jurisdictions and utility providers, and account for anticipated state legislation. City Manager Mike Bennett said the city has received questions from concerned residents about data centers. Bennett clarified that the city's proposed moratorium would target large data centers that use significant electricity or water, not smaller IT room expansions within existing businesses.
Bennett emphasized that there are "no pending applications, there are no known applications coming in" for large data centers. City staff noted that the lack of clear regulations in the city’s land-use code could create uncertainty in evaluating any future proposals. During a moratorium, city staff would review best practices and develop standards addressing different types of data centers and their demands on local resources. Bennett stated the city intends to collaborate with Mesa County, neighboring communities, and utility providers, recognizing that a facility outside city limits could still affect regional resources.
Questions about potential local interest in data centers emerged after Mesa County resident Thom Copp posted on social media about an entry in the ConstructConnect Project Intelligence database. The listing, titled “Grand Junction Data Centers New Construction,” Project No. 5406415, describes a privately funded, $90 million project for a 44,765-square-foot, one-story data-center facility. The listing was updated May 13, 2026, and includes an April 8, 2024, event start date, stating that completed plans call for the facility, though plans and specifications are not publicly available. The location is listed as “Redacted Address, Grand Junction, CO,” and does not specify if the site is within city limits. Mesa County spokesperson Stephanie Reecy confirmed the county has no information about the ConstructConnect listing, and Grand Junction had not responded to inquiries about it.
Both the city and county processes will provide opportunities for residents, businesses, and property owners to comment before any local standards are adopted.
