Local & Community
Palm Springs Extends Data Center Ban Nearly Two Years
Palm Springs City Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to extend the city's temporary ban on data centers by 22 months and 15 days, giving the city time to study the facilities and decide whether, and where, they belong in town.
The council first approved a 45-day moratorium on Aug. 26, stopping the city from accepting, processing or approving any applications or permits for data centers. That ban was set to expire Oct. 10. With the extension, the moratorium now runs for a total of two years, the longest allowed under state law.
The ban covers facilities used mainly to store, process and move digital data, including server farms, cloud computing sites and artificial intelligence training or processing centers. It does not affect businesses that keep servers or IT equipment for their own use, like a hospital, hotel or office running its own systems on site.
Right now, Palm Springs has nothing on the books to regulate data centers. According to the city's staff report, there are no rules covering where they can be built, how much noise they can make, how much power or water they can draw, or what environmental protections they would need. City-hired consultants have already started studying data centers, though planning staff say they need more time to understand their benefits and impacts and write regulations as part of the citywide zoning code update already underway.
"Additional time is necessary to thoughtfully and thoroughly review these land uses both internally and with the community," according to the staff report.
The city says the extension won't have any significant cost. The ban could also end before the two years are up, since staff say council would lift it once the zoning code update is finished and data center rules are in place.
By: Harrison Bluto
October 1, 2026
Latest Instagram Posts
Data centers on pause. ✋ Palm Springs City Council unanimously extended it’s moratorium through August 25, 2028, giving the city time to set zoning rules. What do you think of the decision? 🌴
☕️ Social Time with Thalia & Jerry
About 650,000 ballots and election materials are back with Riverside County election officials after the California Supreme Court ruled their seizure violated state election law. The materials remain under the registrar’s control as officials determine next steps.
Social Time with Thalia & Jerry. Do you get excited or stressed about the upcoming holiday season (or both) ?
BREAKING: Human remains believed to be those of 17-year-old T’neya Tovar have been discovered at a second site in the Salton City area, according to the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office. A skull and rib cage were found during a search involving Imperial County investigators and the FBI. Testing is still needed to confirm the remains belong to Tovar. The discovery comes one day after suspect Finebloom pleaded guilty to torture and voluntary manslaughter as part of a plea agreement that could result in a sentence of 13 years to life. More details on NBCPalmSprings.com
NBC Palm Springs went back to Indio Hills today after Dillon Road flooded last night, forcing many residents to leave. One resident told us he is back today, working on repairs—after his home faced extensive damage in the flood. be sure to visit nbcpalmsprings.com for a live look at the area today. #coachellavalley #weather #flood #indiohills #weather
This afternoon in Salton City, the FBI and Imperial County Sheriff’s Department were in the neighborhood of Abraham Feinbloom. Searching just after a plea deal was made to where Feinbloom agreed to show investigators where the remains of T’Neya Tovar are. Feinbloom pled guilty to one count of torture and voluntary manslaughter. Tonight you’ll hear from neighbors who have been following the case from the very beginning, that story will be on nbcpalmsprings.com #nbcpalmsprings #abrahamfeinbloom #fyp #murdercase #missingteenager
“WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?” Why won’t CVUSD just open the books? Drop your thoughts below 👇 #therogginreport #cvusd #coachellavalley #localnews #nbcpalmsprings
🌧️ Flash flooding swept across parts of the Coachella Valley overnight, leaving vehicles stranded and roads closed. CHP and emergency crews responded as water, rocks and debris impacted roadways in Indio Hills and along Dillon Road. Drivers in that area are urged to use alternate routes.
Social Time with Thalia & Jerry. Who’s your baseball team?