June 15, 2026
By Tim Hundt
VIROQUA Wis.– Vernon County is racing against the clock to protect its rural landscape from the sudden influx of data centers eyeing the region. Local officials are scrambling to help individual townships pass temporary moratoriums to freeze development before tech companies can purchase land and break ground.
The threat of data centers has loomed large over Vernon County in recent months and is heavily intertwined with the fierce local opposition to the proposed Maribel transmission line. Residents and officials fear the region’s abundant fresh water and cool climate make it a prime target for tech giants looking to cool massive server farms. Because Vernon County has historically been one of the few counties in the state without countywide zoning developers could theoretically purchase agricultural land and build a facility with very little local oversight.
However that regulatory landscape is rapidly changing. After years of debate Vernon County officially adopted a comprehensive plan in early 2025 and is now actively drafting its first ever countywide zoning ordinance. During recent committee meetings Zoning Administrator Matt Albright outlined how the county is using this transitional period to fend off unregulated development. Albright drafted a temporary zoning ordinance for towns to use as a template and distributed it to local clerks across the county.
“I sent it out to all their clerks,” said Albright.
Albright noted that the threat of data centers can materialize incredibly fast making the temporary ordinances a vital tool for local municipalities. The legal teeth of these temporary town moratoriums rely entirely on the fact that the county is actively moving toward permanent zoning. Albright explained that under state statutes municipalities can put a freeze on any building projects that would alter the current land use for up to two years. This pause gives the county the necessary time to finish drafting its overarching zoning rules which will eventually include specific districts and setbacks.
“You can implement that moratorium up to two years because you are working on putting zoning in place,” said Albright. “But you have to have a zoning ordinance after two years”.
The new countywide zoning ordinance is expected to take about a year to finalize. It will likely reflect the new comprehensive plan by designating specific areas for development while implementing protections for prime farmland and steep slopes. Once completed the unzoned townships will have the choice to opt in and adopt the county rules. Supervisor Wayde Lawler pointed out the legal complexities of the county trying to enact a sweeping countywide moratorium on its own and stressed why relying on towns to pass their own moratoriums is the most secure legal route.
“The sticky part is if a city village or town already has zoning our zoning cannot preempt theirs,” said Lawler. “If they do not have zoning they have to opt in”.
The push for regulatory action began in the General Government Committee where Supervisor Dave Eggen previously urged the zoning department to explore language that would keep data centers away from homes and waterways.
“We were trying to accomplish some language in an ordinance that would give Vernon County some say in setbacks,” said Eggen. “Like we talked about from navigable water streams and from the nearest homes”.
The local push for moratoriums follows failed attempts at the state legislature to regulate the booming data center industry. Former County Supervisor Mary Henry repeatedly warned county committees in previous meetings about the environmental impact of the facilities which require immense amounts of water and power to operate their cooling systems.
“Wisconsin now, and in Michigan and Indiana, we are a target because of our cool weather and the amount of heat that gives off on these data centers,” said Henry. “With that we also have the largest amount of fresh water”.
Albright told the committee that the grassroots effort is gaining traction among the local municipalities. He reported that nearly half of the unzoned townships in the county have already expressed a desire to enact the temporary freeze to protect their boundaries while the permanent county zoning map is finalized.
“I have nine townships for sure on board that want to move forward with this,” said Albright. “Some have to go through that step before they can”.
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