El Monte has no data-center ordinance and no "data center" use category. Data centers locate in the M-1 (Light Manufacturing) or M-2 (General Manufacturing) zones, classified into the closest listed use - light manufacturing, research and development, or office - under the 2025 Zoning Code, Table 17.42-1.
El Monte's 2025 Zoning Code (Title 17, Chapter 17.42) names no "data center" use. Any use not listed in Table 17.42-1 is barred unless the Planning Director classifies it into an analogous use under Section 17.12.050. A server building operating as light manufacturing, research and development, or an office is permitted by-right with a ministerial building permit. New industrial construction over 5,000 square feet within 150 feet of a residential zone requires a Conditional Use Permit; a distribution or warehouse center of 100,000 square feet or more also needs a CUP. A CUP is discretionary, triggering CEQA review and a Planning Commission hearing. El Monte has adopted no moratorium.
Building or operating a data center outside the M-1 or M-2 zones, or without a required Conditional Use Permit, is a zoning violation enforced by El Monte Community Development through stop-work orders, penalties, and abatement.
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