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Data centers in Dubuque County, Iowa: 2 projects mapped
Dubuque County has no data center application on file, but the prospect of one has already produced two moratoriums. County officials would not name the company buying land south of the Dubuque city limits, but a public records request by local reporters, later confirmed by DataCenterDynamics, identified it as Karis, a real estate firm that says it has assembled more than 1,500 acres and 3 gigawatts of potential data center capacity nationally. City staff confirmed they had been asked about connecting the site to Dubuque's water and sewer systems, which would need City Council approval; no annexation request has been filed.
Hundreds of people filled the county zoning commission's meeting in May, spilling into the hallway and out the door. The commission, recalling a renewable energy ordinance that dragged on for two years before being voted down, unanimously recommended a halt. On May 26, 2026, the Board of Supervisors turned a proposed 120-day pause into a 12-month moratorium on a 2-1 vote. "I do not support data centers and I have said that in the past repeatedly," said Supervisor Ann McDonough, who moved to lengthen it; Wayne Kenniker voted no, saying the longer version had not been reviewed by the county's lawyers.
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Kim Mangers, a widow who lives near the land in question, said her house was now worth "zero, because nobody is going to buy my home." The supervisors have since split over what the permanent ordinance should say: McDonough said it could conclude that no hyperscale data center is possible in the county, while Kenniker said, "I respect people's opinions, 'No data centers.' That's not a practical way to word this." The county plans at least four town halls by October 1, 2026, a draft ordinance within about four months and a final one in about ten.
The city of Dubuque followed. In September 2026 its council adopted a six-month moratorium on hyperscale data centers, defined as over 100,000 square feet, more than 75 megawatts of power, 50 gallons a minute of water or 5,000 servers. The moratorium freezes applications and utility hookup requests while the city studies water, power and annexation. City Attorney Crenna Brumwell said an outright ban was legally possible but "the most likely to face legal challenge."
Separately, in Cascade, Cedar Falls-based Simple Mining plans about 40 containerized Bitcoin mining units on four acres in the Cascade Industrial Park, with noise capped at the level of normal conversation. "Simple Mining is not putting in a data center," said Ken McDermott of the Cascade economic development corporation.
Data center projects on record in Dubuque County
Grouped by the town each site sits in. The report above may name projects that have no record here yet.
Dubuque2
| Project | Company | Status | Power | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubuque Data CenterDubuque | Windstream | Not reported | Source off site ↗ | |
| Karis Data CenterDubuque | Karis | Proposed | Not reported |
Where this comes from
The reporting above was written from these. Open one and check it yourself.
Moratoriums and bans in effect
Pauses on new data centers covering this area.
| Place | Type | Started | Ends | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubuque County | Moratorium | May 26, 2026 | May 26, 2027 | Record off site ↗ |
Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.