As Northern Nevada emerges as one of the country’s fastest-growing targets for large-scale data center development, officials in Humboldt County are moving toward a temporary moratorium on new projects while they study potential impacts to water, power infrastructure, agricultural land and rural communities.
The Humboldt County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously May 18 to move forward with a public hearing on a proposed ordinance temporarily halting approval and permitting of data center facilities in unincorporated portions of the county. The move comes amid growing regional concern over how rapidly expanding technology infrastructure could affect water supplies and utilities across Northern Nevada.
Commissioners said the county’s current land-use regulations, many of which date back to a 2012 master plan, were written before modern hyperscale data centers became a major development issue.
“The data center issue has become a very hot issue,” Commission Chairman Ron Cerri said during the meeting. “We don’t have any ordinances on the books right now that allow or disallow and our land use plans go way back to when there were no data centers.”
According to county staff, Humboldt County has already seen interest from companies exploring possible projects because of the region’s available land, energy access and fiber infrastructure. Board documents note that data centers can create “unique and substantial demands” on water, electrical systems and public infrastructure.
Those concerns drew a packed crowd of residents to the commission meeting, with most public commenters supporting the temporary pause and urging county leaders to proceed cautiously.
Water quickly became the dominant issue.
Several residents warned that Northern Nevada’s drought conditions and already-stressed groundwater systems may not be able to support facilities that can require millions of gallons of water per day for cooling.
“We are in a desert,” former commissioner Tom Hoss told the board. “Every one of our basins up here is already allotted.”
Others tied the issue directly to the larger Humboldt River Basin and the Humboldt Sink, arguing that water impacts in one county can eventually affect neighboring communities and downstream users throughout the Great Basin.
Manny Becerra, a Reno Planning Commissioner who said he co-founded the Truckee Meadows Data Center Policy Consortium, told Humboldt officials that regional cooperation will be important as Northern Nevada deals with increasing development pressure.
Becerra praised the county for slowing the process down before adopting regulations.
“Companies are showing up,” he said. “The county has no specific code for this land use … and the responsible move is to pause then swiftly steady and set sensible standards before approvals land on real ground for this consequential land use.”
He noted that the City of Reno recently spent roughly 16 months grappling with similar issues after major data center proposals arrived there.
Commissioner Ken Tipton said Humboldt County officials began paying closer attention after hearing concerns from other counties and statewide discussions surrounding data center growth.
“Northern Nevada as a whole is No. 3 in the nation as far as where data centers are looking at, No. 5 in the world,” Tipton said.
Public commenters also raised concerns about rising electricity demand, industrial noise, tax incentives and conversion of agricultural land.
David Peterson, a retiree who said he lives on a fixed income, questioned whether local residents would ultimately benefit from the projects long term.
“These data centers, they don't employ anybody once the building's built,” Peterson said. “It's an autonomous structure.”
While modern data centers can generate significant construction activity, operational staffing is often relatively small compared to traditional industrial facilities, with many relying heavily on automation and remote monitoring systems.
Other residents worried about changes to the rural landscape, particularly if large-scale solar infrastructure accompanies future projects.
Tori Apperson, who said she previously followed similar debates in neighboring Pershing County, also warned about noise associated with industrial cooling systems.
“If you ever stood a mile away from one and still be able to hear it, nobody will be sleeping through this stuff,” she said. “It's horrible.”
Much of the discussion focused not only on whether data centers should come to rural Nevada, but how counties can regulate them without exposing taxpayers to lawsuits.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Wendy Maddox explained that counties cannot simply prohibit lawful land uses outright without risking legal challenges tied to property rights.
“This is a temporary moratorium,” Maddox said. “We can't just right now ban data centers because it is a taking.”
Instead, she said the moratorium allows the county time to gather scientific data, study impacts and establish legally defensible standards governing issues such as water use, power demand, agricultural compatibility and neighborhood impacts.
County employee Michelle Cook, speaking as a private citizen, urged commissioners to require developers to fund independent engineering and hydrology reviews rather than placing those costs on taxpayers.
“If we let staff draft these rules without independent, scientifically verifiable data, we are handing developers a roadmap to overturn our laws,” Cook said.
Not everyone supported the moratorium.
Eduardo Martinez, speaking on behalf of Paradise Valley Development Group, argued that an indefinite pause could cost Northern Nevada economic opportunities tied to the rapidly expanding technology sector.
Martinez said the proposed project would rely on closed-loop cooling systems designed to reduce water consumption and would operate independently from NV Energy’s electrical grid.
He urged county leaders to adopt clear standards and timelines rather than pursuing a permanent ban.
“Humboldt County can protect its resources” while still evaluating responsible economic development, Martinez said.
Commissioners stressed repeatedly that the proposed moratorium is intended to slow the process down long enough to ensure future regulations are legally defensible and based on solid research.
“We need to tap the brakes on this so that we can do our research,” Cerri said.
The proposed ordinance would remain in effect until Humboldt County updates its master plan or adopts new zoning regulations specifically addressing data center development. County officials estimated the broader master plan update process could take roughly 18 months.
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