Morton County
1 data center project we know about. 8 cities, townships and unincorporated areas.
Local votes and rules
🗳️ Public vote · Mandan
On Sept. 22, 2026, residents turned in a petition (706 signatures; 435 needed) for a city vote to limit any data center in Mandan to 25 megawatts. The city must check the signatures. The mayor said it likely misses the Nov. 3 ballot and would go to a later special election.
📜 Data center rules · Unincorporated Morton County
County commissioners voted 4-1 to adopt new rules for data centers. Noisy equipment must be at least three-quarters of a mile from a home unless waived. Closed-loop cooling is required, and humming (tonal) noise may not cross the property line. No data center application is before the county.
📜 Data center rules · Mandan
Mandan's planning and zoning board voted unanimously to recommend a data center ordinance, after adding six changes, including tighter noise limits, more monitoring and coolants without PFAS (forever chemicals). It now goes to the City Commission. We did not find a final vote.
⏸️ Pause on new data centers · Unincorporated Morton County
The county paused data centers and crypto mines until it adopted siting and performance rules. Those rules were adopted on Sept. 10, 2026. The county has not said publicly if the pause has formally ended.
Find your town
In North Dakota, cities and towns decide inside their limits. Outside them, the county decides.