Virginia legislators have filed bills that would freeze new data center permits statewide for up to three years. The proposals carry direct implications for McLean, Great Falls and Fairfax County, where rising electric bills and nearby data center expansion have fueled resident frustration.

Sen. Russet Perry, D-Loudoun, and Sen. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, filed Senate Bill 843, which would block localities and state agencies from approving any data center building permits from July 2027 through July 2030, according to WTOP, which published a Virginia Mercury report. The bill would also halt distribution lines, on-site power and related projects that solely serve data centers during that window.

"Data centers bring some benefit, but revenue means little if families can't count on clean water or reliable power for their homes and hospitals," Perry's office told The Center Square.

Roem is filing a separate bill tied to Dominion Energy's interconnection queue. Dominion has roughly 25,000 megawatts of power assigned to projects with energized dates and another 75,000 megawatts going to projects still waiting, according to the Mercury report. The utility estimates a seven-year wait for customers in the queue. Roem's bill would block new approvals until that backlog is cleared and the infrastructure is built.

Closer to home, Del. Irene Shin, D-Fairfax, has a bill carried over from the 2026 session that would pause local zoning and permitting approvals for data centers until all pending interconnection requests are fulfilled or July 1, 2028, whichever comes first. The House Rules Committee moved Shin's bill to the 2027 session, according to The Center Square.

Shin has raised concerns about the cost burden on Fairfax County ratepayers in state proceedings. During a Dominion Energy rate case before the State Corporation Commission (SCC) that concluded Sept. 29, she noted her constituents are still paying off a $1.27 billion bond from 2023 that won't be retired until 2031, WTVR reported. The SCC approved another plan allowing Dominion to recover $1 billion in fuel costs, adding roughly $10.23 per month to a typical customer's bill.

Multiple witnesses in that rate case testified that data center load growth is among the factors driving increased fuel costs passed on to customers, according to WTVR.

Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Chesterfield, plans to file his own moratorium bill. He said constituents are comparing electric bills year over year and seeing sharp increases. He attributed the rises in part to "the costs of their power generation in transmission being subsidized by Virginia ratepayers in their electric bills," the Mercury reported. Sturtevant also signaled he wants to reopen debate over the data center industry's sales and use tax exemption.

The bills face organized opposition. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) argues that data center construction has expanded manufacturing, electrical and construction jobs in Virginia. The Data Center Coalition, an industry group, said data centers have invested $80.56 billion in Virginia and generated $5.34 billion in state and local taxes.

The legislative push follows Gov. Abigail Spanberger's Sept. 18 executive order directing state agencies to develop a data center regulatory framework. That framework would ban developers from requiring state employees to sign nondisclosure agreements and require public hearings for projects needing more than 25 megawatts of power, FFXnow reported.

Meanwhile, a proposed data center expansion in nearby Tysons was put on hold after Serverfarm, a California-based operator, requested an indefinite deferral of its special exception application for a 316,228-square-foot complex on Quantum Drive. Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik said she raised concerns about the project's proximity to residential neighborhoods and its environmental impacts, according to FFXnow.

Virginia is home to nearly 400 data centers in operation with over 280 planned, according to Pew Research Center. The General Assembly's regular session begins Jan. 13, 2027.