Oakland Extends Data Center Moratorium to Oct. 5, 2027

The gap is structural. The city’s agenda report says the Planning Code has no land use definition for data centers, so regulations must start with definitions and with where such facilities could feasibly be built across zoning districts. Oakland says it is also evaluating whether data centers should be permitted at all.

Behring Companies proposed a data center inside a downtown Oakland building in August, The Oaklandside reported. Neither the city’s report nor the news coverage says how the pause affects that proposal.

The numbers

The new expiry is Oct. 5, 2027, which gives staff roughly 10.5 months beyond the first window. The city’s report states the measure is authorized under California Government Code Section 65858, which governs interim urgency ordinances and requires a written report before the pause lapses. Councilmember Carroll Fife, who authored the measure, said it was “imperative that I take immediate action to protect Oakland residents,” per The Oaklandside.

The agenda report puts Oakland alongside San Francisco and Richmond, which have enacted similar moratoria. It says San Jose and Santa Clara, the Bay Area’s established data center hubs, have started updating their own rules. Our recent coverage of that review is in Google’s 250 MW Alviso campus.

What’s next

Staff are building a public engagement plan and an existing-conditions analysis, and NBC Bay Area reports community meetings are planned over the coming months. The city could end the pause early if the council approves new regulations first. Any resulting Planning Code amendments would still need council votes. For other East Bay land use moves, see San Francisco coverage.