Idaho data center and energy laws

What Idaho has enacted on data center and energy, what each law requires, and what the bills still moving would do. Idaho is one of 29 states that enacted a data center and energy law in the 2025 and 2026 sessions.

Bills in scope
9bills in scope
Past committee
5past committee
Most recent action
2 April 2026most recent action

Data center and energy laws enacted in Idaho

2 data center and energy laws enacted in the Idaho Legislature in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, newest first. Each links to the legislature's own page.

  • H 895DATA CENTERS – Adds to existing law to establish limitations on consumptive use of water for cooling certain data centers.Took effect 1 July 2026

    What it requires: Data centers that begin construction on or after July 1, 2026, may not use water for cooling purposes as a consumptive use unless the water is supplied by a municipal, water district, or water and sewer district water system. The director of the Department of Water Resources must consider legislative findings regarding data center consumptive use and its impacts when evaluating new appropriations or transfers of water rights for data centers.

    Water, cooling and emissions

  • H 911PUBLIC UTILITIES – Adds to existing law to provide for new large loads.Took effect 1 July 2026

    What it requires: Public utilities must obtain commission approval before providing service to new large loads. Service contracts must include a no harm test demonstrating the load maintains service quality and funds its full cost of service. New large loads must provide financial security to protect against stranded costs.

    Large-load tariffs and cost allocation, Grid reliability and load flexibility

Data center and energy in Idaho, by topic

Data center and energy bills in Idaho

The bills not yet law, furthest along first, with what each would do.

2Enacted

3Past committee

4Introduced or inactive

9 bills in scope

Past committee

3

H 897TAXATION – Amends existing law to revise a sales tax exemption for data center equipment and to revise a certain property tax exemption for certain capital investments.Passed chamber

What it would do: Revises the sales tax exemption for data center equipment to apply only to eligible server equipment for projects commencing construction on or after April 1, 2026, and adds electricity cost recovery and water consumption notification requirements for such projects. Limits property tax exemption for new capital investments to projects that commenced construction prior to April 1, 2026.

HCR 19ELECTRICITY STUDY – States findings of the Legislature and authorizes the Legislative Council to appoint a committee to undertake and complete a study of new Idaho large electricity loads and rate payer protections.Passed committee

What it would do: Authorizes the Legislative Council to appoint a committee to study new Idaho large electricity loads and rate payer protections, including generation, transmission, infrastructure, ratemaking, and grid reliability, with findings due to the Second Regular Session of the Sixty-eighth Legislature.

H 395PUBLIC UTILITIES – Adds to existing law to provide for competitive procurement of electric services and electric ratepayer protection.Passed committee

What it would do: Adds provisions allowing electric consumers with new large loads of 30 megawatts or more to competitively procure electric service from entities other than the default public utility, while prohibiting cost recovery from other ratepayers and requiring utilities to provide transmission and distribution facilities at cost.

Introduced or inactive

4

S 1368PUBLIC UTILITIES – Adds to existing law to provide for new large loads.Introduced

What it would do: Requires public utilities to obtain Idaho Public Utilities Commission approval before serving new large loads, defined as electrical loads increasing power requirements by 30 megawatts or more within 36 months under service contracts entered after July 1, 2026.

H 756PUBLIC UTILITY – Amends and adds to existing law to provide for new large loads.Introduced

What it would do: Requires public utilities to obtain Idaho Public Utilities Commission approval of electric service agreements for new large loads of 20+ megawatts, including a no-harm test ensuring no rate increases to existing consumers, financial security requirements, and periodic review.

H 609TAXATION – Amends existing law to revise a sales tax exemption for data center equipment and to revise a property tax exemption for certain capital investments.Introduced

What it would do: Revises the sales tax exemption for data center equipment to add electricity cost recovery and water consumption notice requirements for qualifying business entities receiving exemptions after March 1, 2026. Limits property tax exemption eligibility by prohibiting taxpayers receiving the data center sales tax exemption from also receiving the new capital investment property tax exemption.

H 315TAXATION – Amends existing law to revise provisions regarding the sales tax exemption for Idaho information technology equipment.In committee

What it would do: Revises the Idaho information technology equipment sales tax exemption by limiting it to qualifying business entities making at least $250 million capital investments and creating 30 new jobs, with exemptions expiring seven years after becoming final for entities receiving exemptions after March 1, 2025.

Bill titles link to the Idaho Legislature's own page.

What LawSignals covers

What counts as data center and energy legislation

In scope: Large-load tariffs and cost allocation; siting, zoning and permitting; tax incentives and clawbacks; on-site and co-located generation; water, cooling and emissions; and grid reliability and load flexibility.

Questions

Does Idaho have a data center and energy law?

Yes. Idaho enacted 2 data center and energy laws in the 2025 and 2026 sessions, among them H 895 and H 911. Each is listed on this page with what it requires.

When do Idaho's data center and energy laws take effect?

H 895 on 1 July 2026 and H 911 on 1 July 2026.

Which data center and energy bills are moving in Idaho?

3 bills not yet law have passed a committee or a chamber, the furthest along H 897 (passed chamber), HCR 19 (passed committee) and H 395 (passed committee).

What does Idaho legislate on most in data center and energy?

Large-load tariffs and cost allocation (5 bills), Grid reliability and load flexibility (3 bills) and Tax incentives and clawbacks (3 bills).

Are these summaries reviewed by a lawyer?

No. Which bills count as Data center and energy bills, and the line on what each law requires or each bill would do, are drafted by software from the bill's own text and not reviewed by an attorney. Every bill links to the legislature's own record: read the text before relying on it. The list covers bills from the 2025 and 2026 sessions.

Other practice areas in Idaho

Data center and energy legislation in other jurisdictions

49 more currently hold bills in this tracker

Know when Idaho's data center and energy law changes

An alert when a bill moves, and one report a month on what changed in every state and Congress.

Track data center and energy laws freeAbout the Data Centers and Energy Load Tracker