Saguache County places moratorium on data center projects
County Commissioners want time to determine land use regulations for any rural data center projects
Alamosa Citizen | May 8 2026
Saguache County adopted a resolution on Tuesday, May 5, that placed an emergency temporary moratorium on any data center projects within the county for six months.
Some language was changed in the draft resolution during the meeting, but the commissioners said the resolution was drafted following their April 21 meeting where San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative CEO Eric Eriksen said that the power company had received three inquiries for “rural data center” projects in the Valley.
A representative with SLVREC said Eriksen was out of the office this week, so a voicemail was left with him on Tuesday morning.
Alamosa County Administrator Roni Wisdom sent the Citizen a copy of SLVREC’s informational newsletter that breaks down what a “rural data center” is. In that letter given to the Alamosa County Commissioners, Eriksen said that over the past year, SLVREC “have been in discussion with three rural data center developers exploring opportunities.”
The Saguache County moratorium is necessary “for the immediate preservation and protection of the public health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Saguache County.”
“Everybody in our county is upset about data centers,” said Saguache County Commissioner Liza Marron.
The primary purpose for enacting an emergency temporary moratorium on the acceptance, processing, or approval of data center projects is “to provide the County sufficient time” to develop and amend the Saguache County Land Use Code, Standards, other sections of the Land Use Code, and Saguache County 1041 Regulations.
Any changes to the land use code requires a review and recommendation by the County Planning Commission and a public hearing.
“The intent of the new Land Use Code and 1041 provisions prepared and implemented during the moratorium period is to establish an improved process and standards regarding requests for Data Center projects,” the resolution reads.
“County Land Use Department has informed the BOCC that it has received inquiries regarding data center projects and the current regulations in the Land Use Code,” the original draft read. This turned out not to be the case.
Saguache Land Use Administrator Amber Wilson said her office has not had any official inquiries for data centers. “No one has come to us,” she said.
The language in the paragraph of the moratorium had been changed on May 5 to reflect the information stemming from SLVREC.
The Saguache County commissioners can put the moratorium in place for the purposes of “prohibiting or regulating in any part of or all of the unincorporated territory of the county used or to be used for any business, residential, industrial or commercial purpose….”
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