BESS Moratoriums

Battery Storage Restrictions Across 14 States

14 States Covered | 38 Moratoriums Tracked | 16 Active | 5 Pending | Updated Monthly

While New York and California get the most attention, BESS moratoriums are spreading across the country. Fourteen additional states have enacted or proposed restrictions on battery storage development, ranging from temporary permitting pauses to outright bans. This page tracks every known moratorium outside of New York and California, updated monthly.

BESS Moratoriums by State

Outside of New York and California, BESS moratoriums are scattered rather than clustered — appearing in individual counties across 14 states rather than sweeping through entire regions. But the pattern is not random. SStates with active renewable energy development pipelines (Washington, Iowa, Indiana) are seeing the most activity, while states with only expired moratoriums (Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia) suggest the restriction wave has already passed in those jurisdictions. For developers evaluating sites in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, the key question is whether these early moratoriums signal a broader trend or a handful of isolated local reactions.

The ORES pathway is not automatic approval. Projects still undergo environmental review, community engagement, and compliance with state siting standards. But the critical difference is that the decision-making authority shifts from the local government to the state — removing the moratorium as a blocking factor. Subscribers to Carina’s moratorium database receive the full ORES pathway details, including the application process, typical approval timelines, and Carina’s analysis of how ORES is handling projects in moratorium jurisdictions.

Washington State

Washington is now the most active moratorium state outside of New York, with 6 active restrictions, 5 of them in King County. Three new moratoriums were enacted in May 2026 in the foothills communities east of Seattle. Snoqualmie and North Bend both enacted ALL_BESS-scope bans running through May 2027, making them among the most restrictive BESS moratoriums in the country outside of New York. Both appear to be responses to a proposed BESS siting by Jupiter Energy in unincorporated King County, with North Bend’s city council authorizing the mayor to send a formal objection to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. Enumclaw extended its existing freeze through November 2026.

The original three active moratoriums remain in place. Black Diamond was extended from its original February 2026 expiration to September 2026, Covington runs through October 2026, and Klickitat County in the Columbia River Gorge runs through September 2026.

Three moratoriums have expired without replacement (Renton, Skagit County, and Whatcom County), but the new King County cluster signals that the restriction trend in Washington is accelerating. The concentration of 5 active moratoriums in a single county is unusual outside of New York and bears watching.

Iowa

Iowa is notable for hosting one of the few outright bans on BESS in the United States. Cerro Gordo County enacted an indefinite ban on utility-scale battery storage — not a temporary moratorium, but a permanent prohibition. Taylor County also has an indefinite moratorium with no expiration date. Jackson County’s moratorium runs through August 2027, making it one of the longest-dated restrictions outside New York. Floyd County’s moratorium expired in March 2025.

Iowa has no state-level bypass pathway, so developers in these jurisdictions have no mechanism to override local restrictions.

Indiana

Indiana has two active moratoriums and two pending. Boone County’s moratorium was extended from its original April 2026 expiration to June 2027. Marshall County’s moratorium was expanded in scope from utility-scale only to ALL_BESS (covering all battery storage) and is now indefinite with no expiration date, making it one of the most restrictive entries in the database. Howard County has a pending moratorium covering all battery storage, and Starke County has a pending utility-scale moratorium. Pulaski County’s moratorium was lifted.

If both pending moratoriums are enacted, Indiana will have four active restrictions, more than any other state outside New York, California, and Washington.

Michigan

Michigan no longer has any active BESS moratoriums. Of four tracked restrictions, Chester Township (Ottawa County) and Riley Township (St. Clair County) have expired, Wales Township (St. Clair County) was lifted, and Comstock Township (Kalamazoo County) has a pending moratorium that has not yet taken effect. Michigan appears to have moved through its moratorium phase faster than most states.

Maine

Maine’s small moratorium footprint includes Albion (Kennebec County) with an active utility-scale moratorium expiring June 2026, Durham (Androscoggin County) whose moratorium expired in May 2025, and Palermo (Waldo County) with a pending proposed moratorium that would cover all battery storage. If Palermo’s restriction is enacted, it would be one of the few ALL_BESS moratoriums outside of New York.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts dropped from 4 active restrictions to 2 this update cycle. Northfield and Wendell (both Franklin County) expired in May 2026 without replacement. The remaining active restrictions are Westfield (Hampden County, indefinite ALL_BESS moratorium) and Town of Oakham (Worcester County, indefinite ALL_BESS ban). Both are indefinite with no defined expiration dates.

Massachusetts is one of seven states with a bypass pathway. Chapter 40A, Section 3 allows developers to challenge unreasonable local zoning restrictions, though the pathway is more limited than New York’s ORES or California’s CEC certification.

Wisconsin

Holland (Brown County) enacted an indefinite ban on all battery storage in August 2023, one of only three permanent BANs in the national database. The ban covers both utility-scale and smaller battery installations, making Wisconsin one of the more restrictive states for any commercial BESS deployment in the affected jurisdiction. Forest (St. Croix County) had a utility-scale moratorium that expired in March 2024 without replacement.

Wisconsin has no state-level bypass pathway for BESS, so the Holland ban is a binding constraint within the township.

Single-Record States

Six states have a single moratorium record each. Several are active restrictions worth watching:

Colorado: Washington County has a pending moratorium covering all battery storage (ALL_BESS scope). If enacted, it would be one of the few restrictions in the country that covers residential systems alongside utility-scale.

Illinois: Lee County’s utility-scale moratorium expired in June 2026.

Maryland: Caroline County’s moratorium expired in March 2026.

Kansas: Allen County’s moratorium expired in July 2025.

Texas: Pasadena (Harris County) has an active moratorium expiring October 2026. This is notable as one of very few BESS moratoriums in the ERCOT market, where battery storage development has been aggressive.

The remaining single-record states with only expired moratoriums are Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia.

All BESS Moratoriums: 14 States

Source: Carina Energy research.