The motion fails by a 3-4 vote. The final vote on the item extended the moratorium for six months, to June 23, 2026.
*media interviews available*
DEKALB COUNTY – On December 16, 2025, Agenda Item 2025-1694: “Application of the Director of Planning and Sustainability to extend a moratorium on the permitting or other authorization of any new data centers, or the expansion of any existing data centers, in Unincorporated DeKalb County” was discussed to extend the data center moratorium to March 26, 2026.
Commissioner Ted Terry advocated instead the moratorium be extended for 12 months, to the last meeting in December 2026, to allow for additional time for DeKalb County to conduct an independent Environmental and Public Health Study.
“Residents are worried about noise near homes, parks, and trails. They are worried about air quality and the health impacts of diesel generators and increased fossil-fuel generation. They are worried about water use, stormwater runoff, and potential impacts on local streams and drinking water systems. They are worried about grid reliability and whether massive energy users will strain neighborhood power systems. And they are worried about equity — about whether communities that have historically hosted landfills and heavy industrial uses are once again being asked to absorb the impacts of yet another speculative development with adverse outcomes.” Said Super District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry.
In a statement by Commissioner Terry, he indicated the study should examine but not be limited to noise, air quality, diesel emissions, water use, stormwater impacts, heat, grid strain, and climate implications. He also indicated it should evaluate how these impacts intersect with existing environmental burdens and health disparities across the county.
This motion failed by a 3-4 vote. The final vote on the item extended the moratorium for six months, to June 23, 2026, but did not include mention of the independent Environmental and Public Health Study.
Additionally, the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners voted on Agenda Item 2025-0972 “Application of the Director of Planning and Sustainability to amend Chapter 27 to Establish a Definition, Regulatory Guidelines, and Development Standards for Data Centers in M (Industrial), M-2 (Heavy Industrial), O-I (Office-Institutional), and O-D (Office-Distribution) zoning districts. This text amendment is County-wide.” To better align with the moratorium and allow the regulations to include details from a possible independent Environmental and Public Health Study, Commissioner Terry advocated to defer to June. The final vote deferred the item to January 27, 2026.
A data center moratorium was originally introduced as Agenda Item 2025-0996 by Commissioner Ted Terry and approved on July 8, 2025. Agenda Item 2025-1694, voted on today, is the fourth data center moratorium introduced this year.
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ABOUT DeKalb County Super District 6 Commissioner Ted Terry:
In 2020, Commissioner Ted Terry was elected to serve as the Super District 6 Commissioner of DeKalb County. His district includes half of the County with portions of South, Central, and North DeKalb, totaling approximately 350,000 residents. He successfully was reelected and began his second term in January 2025.
Commissioner Terry’s policy priorities include the DeKalb Green New Deal and former President Biden’s Justice 40 initiatives, affordable housing, transit equity, protecting voting rights for DeKalb residents, and criminal justice reform. Commissioner Terry serves as the Chair of Finance and Budget (FAB) and is a member of the Planning, Economic Development and Community Service (PECS) committee. He previously served as the Chair of the Employee Relations and Public Safety committee (ERPS) and Chair of the Operations Committee (OPS) and as a member of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWI).
The Commissioner also serves as a member of the National Association of Counties (NACo) as a member of the Healthy Counties Advisory Board, International Economic Development Task Force, Large Urban County Caucus (LUCC) Member, Resilient Counties Advisory Board Member, and Environment, Energy, and Land Use (EELU) Policy Steering Committee. Locally serves on theGeorgia Council for International Visitors Board of Trustees.
Prior to his election, Commissioner Terry served as the Mayor of the most ethnically diverse square mile in America: Clarkston, Georgia from January 2014 – March 2020, where he was the youngest Mayor in Clarkston’s 135-year history.
He resides in DeKalb County with his wife Andrea and 4-legged fur-babies.
To learn more about Commissioner Terry, his platforms and how to stay up to date on the latest from his office, visit www.commissionertedterry.com.
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