Data Centers & Crypto Mining in Santa Cruz County, CA (2026)
2 rules for unincorporated Santa Cruz County, California.
Verified from official government sources
Data Center Zoning & Siting
Santa Cruz County has no dedicated data-center ordinance. On unincorporated land a data center is regulated only as an industrial use, allowed in the M-1 or M-2 districts under SCCC 13.10.342, requiring a use permit plus CEQA review. The county's cities set their own zoning.
Santa Cruz County Data Center Zoning & Siting
Significant RestrictionsSanta Cruz County Code § 13.10.342(D) (Uses in Industrial Districts — Industrial Uses Chart)
Uses that are not specifically identified in the chart but are determined by the Planning Director to be of the same general character as an identified use, may be permitted subject to the same permit requirements as the identified use.
Data Center Noise Limits
Santa Cruz County's noise ordinance (County Code Chapter 8.30) caps sound at the source property line: 75 dBA daytime (8 a.m.–10 p.m.) and 60 dBA at night (10 p.m.–8 a.m.). Data-center cooling and generators must meet these limits, reinforced through CEQA permit conditions.
Santa Cruz County Noise Limits for Data Centers
Some RestrictionsSanta Cruz County Code § 8.30.010(C)(1)(a) (Offensive noise — day and evening hours)
In excess of 75 decibels at the edge of the property line of the property from which the sound is broadcast, as registered on a sound measuring instrument meeting the American National Standard Institute's Standard S1.4-1971.
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