Humboldt County has no dedicated data center ordinance. In the unincorporated county a data center is an industrial use for the ML, MG, or MH districts, needing a Use Permit, CEQA review, and, in the coastal zone, a Coastal Development Permit.
Unincorporated Humboldt County regulates data centers only through general industrial zoning, not a data-center-specific chapter. Land use runs under two regimes: County Code Chapter 314 outside the coastal zone and Chapter 313 inside it. A server or computing facility is an industrial use, sited in the Limited Industrial (ML), Heavy Industrial (MH), or Industrial General (MG) districts; the ML zone is meant for light manufacturing and large administrative facilities of the non-nuisance type. A facility of utility scale requires a discretionary Use Permit, which triggers CEQA review of water, power, traffic, and noise. Because Humboldt is a coastal county, any site inside the Coastal Zone also needs a Coastal Development Permit under the county's certified Local Coastal Program.
Building a data center outside a designated industrial zone, or without a required Use Permit, CEQA clearance, or (in the Coastal Zone) a Coastal Development Permit, is a zoning violation that can halt the project until it conforms.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Humboldt County, CA
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Humboldt County, CA
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Humboldt County, CA
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Humboldt County, CA
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Humboldt County, CA
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Humboldt County, CA
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