BESS Moratoriums

Battery Storage Restrictions Across 14 States

14 States Covered | 29 Moratoriums Tracked | 14 Active | 4 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 (Kansas, Wisconsin, Tennessee) suggest the restriction wave has already passed. 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’s moratorium activity is concentrated in King County, with three of the state’s five records in the Seattle metropolitan area. Black Diamond and Covington both have active moratoriums on utility-scale BESS, while Renton’s more aggressive restriction — which covered all battery storage, not just utility-scale — has expired. Klickitat County in the Columbia River Gorge rounds out the active restrictions. Skagit County’s moratorium also expired in early 2025.

The pattern in Washington is encouraging for developers: two moratoriums have expired without being replaced, suggesting these were genuine temporary pauses rather than precursors to permanent bans.

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 is a state to watch. Two counties have active moratoriums (Boone County expiring April 2026, Marshall County extending all the way to January 2028), and two more are pending: Howard County has a proposed moratorium covering all battery storage (not just utility-scale), and Starke County has a pending utility-scale moratorium. If both pending moratoriums are enacted, Indiana will have four active restrictions — tying it with Michigan for the most outside the coasts.

Marshall County’s January 2028 expiration is one of the longest in the entire database

Michigan

Michigan’s moratorium activity appears to be winding down. Two of four moratoriums have expired (Chester Township in Ottawa County and Wales Township in St. Clair County), leaving only Riley Township (St. Clair County) with an active restriction. Comstock Township in Kalamazoo County has a pending moratorium. All Michigan restrictions target utility-scale projects only.

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.

Single-Record States

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

Colorado: Washington County has an active moratorium covering all battery storage (ALL_BESS scope) — one of few in the country that restricts residential systems alongside utility-scale.

Illinois: Lee County has an active moratorium on utility-scale BESS expiring June 2026.

Maryland: Caroline County has an active utility-scale moratorium expiring March 2026.

Texas: Pasadena (Harris County) has an active moratorium expiring April 2025. 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 — Kansas, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin — have only expired moratoriums, suggesting the restriction was a one-time event rather than an ongoing regulatory trend.

All BESS Moratoriums: 14 States

Source: Carina Energy research.