Orangetown, New York, halts new data center and battery storage approvals for 180 days
A Rockland County town has frozen permits for data centers and battery systems while it rewrites its zoning, but data center applications filed before July 1, 2026 may proceed.
Developers looking at Orangetown for a new data center or battery storage project cannot obtain any town approval, building permit or certificate of occupancy while a 180-day moratorium is in effect. On August 25, 2026, the Orangetown Town Board adopted Local Law No. 5 of 2026, a “Temporary Town-Wide Moratorium-Battery Energy Storage Systems and Data Storage Facilities (Data Centers),” adding a new Article XX to the town's zoning chapter under the authority of N.Y. Mun. Home Rule Law § 10 and N.Y. Stat. Local Gov'ts Law § 10(6).
Town of Orangetown, N.Y., Local Law No. 5 of 2026 (Aug. 25, 2026); N.Y. Mun. Home Rule Law §§ 10, 27; N.Y. Exec. Order No. 62 (July 14, 2026)