Graded Light and tightening. 13 laws, orders, rulings and local actions, each with its source, reviewed 23 October 2026.
Every load above 100 MW needs a PSC-approved contract; the 1 Oct 2026 Google approval ties service to funding 1,600 MW of renewables and 480 MW of storage.
Consumers' tariff (6 Nov 2025) sets 15-year terms, 80% take-or-pay and a no-subsidy showing per load; DTE contracts carry 80% minimum bills and exit payments.
51 cities and townships held moratoria as of April 2026, 14 in Washtenaw County, yet Saline and Van Buren (14 Oct 2026) both cleared gigawatt campuses.
The 30 Dec 2024 sales and use tax exemptions stand uncapped and Wayne County's $125 million exemption survived a veto on 1 Oct 2026; repeal has not moved.
No water, air or disclosure rule is in force; the water withdrawal and NDA bills from Dec 2025 sit in committee.
Scored on rules in force, 1 to 5. 5 is the most regulated. Pending rules set the arrow.
Michigan enacted hyperscale sales and use tax exemptions at the end of 2024 and has since approved power contracts for two gigawatt-scale campuses: Oracle and OpenAI in Saline Township (December 2025) and Google in Van Buren Township (1 October 2026), where the township planning commission approved the final site plan 5 to 1 on 14 October 2026 and the county commission overrode the county executive's veto of a tax exemption worth more than $125 million. The Public Service Commission requires long contracts and an 80% minimum bill for loads over 100 MW. Opposition is broad: more than 50 cities and townships have moratoria, the attorney general has appealed the Saline approval, and bills to repeal the exemption or pause approvals statewide are pending. The governor's office has signaled it would veto bills that block economic growth.
The attorney general's appeal of the Saline contracts is pending at the Court of Appeals, consolidated with the environmental groups' appeal, after opening briefs filed on 7 August 2026; no ruling had been found as of 23 October 2026. DTE told investors on 7 October 2026 that developers seeking about 2 GW are in advanced talks and that it expects to announce new data center agreements by the end of 2026, each of which would need commission approval above 100 MW. Repeal, moratorium and regulation bills, including Sen. Runestad's planned repeal bill and the House bills to halt approvals until 1 April 2027, could move in the post-election session or be refiled in 2027 under a new governor, since the office is on the November 2026 ballot. DTE expects Google's Van Buren service to start in December 2027 and reach full load by December 2028.
No statewide moratorium, but 1 local pause is in force as of 23 October 2026, in 51 cities and townships. Proposals and expired pauses are not counted.
Tightening. Michigan is graded Light, which means incentives in place and few new obligations. Tax break intact; Google cleared state and township in October amid 50-plus local moratoria. The outlook above says what is pending.
Michigan sits in PJM and MISO. The grid operator decides how a new large load is studied, what it must bring or pay, and whether it can be curtailed first; the state decides siting, permits, tariffs and incentives.
No. Michigan's data center incentives were not pulled back in 2025 or 2026 as of 23 October 2026, though the items below show what is pending.
On Genloop's five-line rubric (1 least regulated, 5 most) Michigan scores grid connection 3, power rates 4, siting and land use 3, tax treatment 1, permits and water 1, a mean of 2.4. The most regulated line is power rates: Consumers' tariff (6 Nov 2025) sets 15-year terms, 80% take-or-pay and a no-subsidy showing per load; DTE contracts carry 80% minimum bills and exit payments.
13 items: each is a law, order, tariff, ruling, utility action or local decision that changes what a data center must do, pay or disclose, or where it may be built. Failed and pending measures are marked. Each links to its source.
Conditionally approved 1 October 2026 after the state's first contested case on a hyperscale contract: 20-year term, minimum bill of 80% of contracted capacity, termination payment covering at least 15 years of minimum charges, and Google funding up to 1,600 MW of renewables and 480 MW of storage. The attorney general had sought a 90% minimum.
Source: michiganpublic.orgThe Van Buren Township Planning Commission approved the final site plan for the 282-acre, 1 GW Google campus and substation by 5 to 1 on 14 October 2026, with commissioners saying they were compelled to because data centers are a principal permitted use on industrially zoned land. The Wayne County Commission had overridden County Executive Warren Evans' veto of a tax exemption worth more than $125 million on 1 October 2026; Google agreed to pay $15 million each to the county and the township. DTE told the commission service is expected to start in December 2027 and reach full load by December 2028.
Source: michiganpublic.orgDTE told investors and The Detroit News (7 October 2026) that developers seeking about 2 GW are in advanced discussions and that it expects to announce new data center agreements by the end of 2026, with 3 to 4 GW more possible later. Its new long-range plan proposes two gas plants costing $6.4 billion, which environmental groups tie to data center demand. Any new special contracts above 100 MW would go to the Public Service Commission.
Source: planetdetroit.orgIn September 2026 Sen. Jim Runestad said he will introduce a bill to repeal the 2024 exemptions; the original House sponsor is drafting a bill to allow more disclosure about the tax breaks. The Michigan Chamber opposes repeal.
Source: wilx.comProposed in June 2026: data centers would pay the full cost of their electricity, sign community benefits agreements, face water use rules and noise studies, and nondisclosure agreements with local governments would be banned. Not passed.
Source: planetdetroit.orgAn MLive count in April 2026 found 51 cities and townships with data center moratoria covering about 1,466 square miles, including 14 communities in Washtenaw County; terms run from 90 days to two years. Howell Township's pause was followed by withdrawal of a project reportedly tied to Meta.
Source: govtech.comThe township board denied rezoning of 575 acres in September 2025, was sued by the landowners and Related Digital for exclusionary zoning, and settled to let the 1.4 GW Oracle and OpenAI campus proceed. In February 2026 a Washtenaw County judge denied a resident's motion to intervene.
Source: planetdetroit.orgBipartisan bills introduced in late February 2026 would bar state and local permits and Public Service Commission approvals for data centers until 1 April 2027. They have not moved. The governor's office did not comment on these bills, but a spokesperson said in February that any legislation that prevents economic growth and job creation would be vetoed.
Source: planetdetroit.orgThe commission conditionally approved the contracts in December 2025 without a contested case. Attorney General Dana Nessel appealed and filed her opening brief on 7 August 2026, asking the Court of Appeals to void the approval and send the contracts back for a contested case. Earthjustice, the Sierra Club, the Michigan Environmental Council and the Natural Resources Defense Council filed a separate brief the same day, and the court consolidated the appeals. No ruling was found as of 10 October 2026.
Source: michiganadvance.comHB 5396 would repeal the large data center tax exemptions; SB 761 to 763 would limit data center water withdrawals above 2 million gallons a day and add water and energy reporting; HB 5399 would bar officials from signing nondisclosure agreements. None had left committee as of March 2026.
Source: planetdetroit.orgUnveiled 16 December 2025 by Reps. Jim DeSana (R) and Dylan Wegela (D) to repeal the sales and use tax exemptions for hyperscale data centers. The sponsors expected an uphill fight.
Source: bridgemi.comApproved 6 November 2025. New loads above 100 MW must sign for at least 15 years and pay for 80% of expected monthly demand whether used or not, with up to five years to ramp up. Consumers must show each new large load is not subsidized by other customers.
Source: utilitydive.comSigned 30 December 2024. SB 237 exempts data center equipment used by an enterprise data center from the use tax; a companion House bill covers the sales tax. These exemptions helped attract the Saline Township campus.
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