Garden Grove, CA Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)
Key Facts
- Dedicated ordinance
- None
- Industrial zones
- M-1, M-P (no M-2)
- Data-center use
- Not listed
- By-right
- Light industrial / utility use
- Discretionary review
- CEQA if CUP triggered
Summary
Garden Grove has no data-center ordinance and no data-center use in its Land Use Matrix. A data center sites in the M-1 or M-P industrial zones, classified into the closest listed use - light manufacture, electronics assembly, warehouse, or public utility building - permitted by right.
The industrial zones are designed and intended to promote manufacturing, service, research, and wholesale trade activities in a harmonious working environment. These districts are also intended to protect residential and commercial uses from the adverse influences associated with industrial activities.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4903654; v10 updated 2026-05-12).
Full Breakdown
Garden Grove's zoning (Municipal Code Title 9, Chapter 9.16) does not name "data center" as a use. The Land Use Matrix (Table 1) sets uses for the two industrial zones - M-1 (Limited Industrial) and M-P (Industrial Park). Garden Grove has no M-2 zone. The Zoning Administrator classifies an unlisted use into the nearest listed category. The closest fits - Light Manufacture, electronics assembly, Warehouses, and Public Utility Stations and Equipment Buildings - are permitted by right in M-1 and M-P, needing only a ministerial permit. Section 9.16.020.040.B requires industrial uses inside a wholly enclosed building and bars nuisance noise. A ministerial permit is exempt from CEQA; a discretionary Conditional Use Permit triggers CEQA review. Garden Grove adopted no moratorium.
Violations & Fines
Building or operating a data center outside an industrial zone, outside a wholly enclosed building, or without a required permit is a zoning violation enforced by Community Development and Code Enforcement through stop-work orders and abatement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can data centers be built in Garden Grove?
Does Garden Grove have a data-center ordinance or moratorium?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Garden Grove
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