BESS Moratoriums

Battery Storage Restrictions Across 14 States

14 States Covered | 40 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. States 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 8 active restrictions across three counties: King (5), Pierce (2), and Klickitat (1). The moratorium cluster that began in King County’s foothills communities in 2025 has now expanded south into Pierce County, with new moratoriums enacted in Puyallup (effective June 2026, expires June 2027) and Bonney Lake (effective April 2026, expired August 2026). Klickitat County extended its moratorium from September 2026 to March 2027, a five-month extension that keeps the Columbia River Gorge constrained for BESS siting through Q1 2027.

In King County, five active moratoriums remain: Snoqualmie and North Bend (both ALL_BESS-scope through May 2027), Enumclaw (through November 2026), Black Diamond (through September 2026), and Covington (through October 2026). Snoqualmie and North Bend both appear to be responses to a proposed BESS siting by Jupiter Energy in unincorporated King County.

Three moratoriums have expired without replacement (Renton, Skagit County, and Whatcom County), but the geographic expansion from King County into Pierce County signals that the restriction trend in Washington is still accelerating.

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. As of August 2026, 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

Wisconsin has two records with opposite trajectories. Holland (Brown County) enacted a temporary ban on all battery storage in 2024, but has since lifted it and moved to a “permit-under-strict-conditions” regulatory model. Forest (St. Croix County), previously listed as expired, has been reclassified as an active setback restriction: applications are no longer frozen, but they must meet the rigorous standards and site designations outlined in the Town of Forest Battery Energy Storage System Ordinance. Wisconsin has no state-level bypass pathway for BESS.

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.