No new data centers can be built in unincorporated Snohomish County after the county council unanimously approved an emergency moratorium on June 24.

The freeze affects property owners and developers throughout unincorporated Snohomish County but does not apply within city limits of Everett, Marysville, Lynnwood, or other incorporated cities.

The Snohomish County Council passed Emergency Ordinance 26-026 with all five members voting in favor, according to Councilmember Nate Nehring, who said he proposed the measure.

The ordinance amends the county's land-use and zoning regulations for unincorporated areas. It was introduced at the council's June 16 session and assigned to the Planning and Community Development Committee before advancing to the full vote.

Nehring called the moratorium a chance to "press 'pause'" while the county develops a permanent data center policy. He said the effort would include public input and research into best practices.

The moratorium lands amid a wave of similar actions across western Washington. Neighboring Skagit County adopted its own data center moratorium in early June, with a public hearing set for Tuesday, July 14.

Seattle's city council committees also unanimously advanced a year-long data center construction ban in June, citing concerns about electricity demand and rising utility costs.

Separately, the council assigned Motion 26-238, which refers a growth-management discussion on data centers to the Snohomish County Planning Commission.

No date for the commission's first meeting on the topic has been announced. Snohomish County is one of seven Washington counties required to fully plan under the state Growth Management Act, meaning its land-use decisions carry heightened state oversight.

Snohomish County has not yet published the full text of Emergency Ordinance 26-026, so the moratorium's duration and which permit types are frozen remain unconfirmed. Residents can track the ordinance and Motion 26-238 through the county's Legistar portal.