Berkeley has no cryptocurrency-mining ordinance. A commercial mining operation is treated as a manufacturing or industrial use, allowed only in the West Berkeley M, MM, or MU-LI districts under a Use Permit, with CEQA review and the same Chapter 13.40 noise limits as any data center.
Berkeley's Zoning Ordinance does not mention cryptocurrency, blockchain, or mining, and the City has adopted no crypto energy cap or moratorium. A commercial mine is a room of servers and cooling equipment, so it is reviewed like any industrial or data-processing use: permitted only in West Berkeley's Manufacturing (M), Mixed Manufacturing (MM), or Mixed Use-Light Industrial (MU-LI) districts, under a discretionary Use Permit, with CEQA review and findings tied to the West Berkeley Plan. Fan, rig, and cooling noise is capped by BMC Chapter 13.40 at the receiving property's limit, so a mine near homes must meet 55 dBA daytime and 45 dBA nighttime at that line.
A commercial mine outside the M, MM, or MU-LI districts, or without a Use Permit and CEQA clearance, is a zoning violation; excessive rig and cooling noise is enforced under Chapter 13.40 until measured sound conforms.
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