Kern County has no dedicated data center ordinance. In unincorporated areas a data center is an industrial use, sited in the M-1, M-2, or M-3 districts under Zoning Ordinance Title 19, cleared through a Planning Director plot plan review and CEQA. Bakersfield, Delano, and Ridgecrest set their own zoning.
Unincorporated Kern County regulates data centers only through its general Zoning Ordinance (Title 19), not a data-center chapter. A server or computing facility is not a named use, so the Planning Director classifies it as a similar industrial use under Sections 19.08.030 through 19.08.080 and places it in the M-1 Light Industrial (Chapter 19.36), M-2 Medium Industrial (Chapter 19.38), or M-3 Heavy Industrial (Chapter 19.40) district. Permitted industrial uses require a plot plan review approved by the Planning Director under Chapter 19.80 before any grading or building permit issues (Section 19.80.040). The county's vast unincorporated oil, ag, and industrial land gives real siting capacity, but a discretionary approval triggers CEQA review.
Building or expanding a data center in unincorporated Kern County without an approved Chapter 19.80 plot plan review, any required conditional use permit, or CEQA clearance stalls approval and draws county code enforcement until the project conforms.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Kern County, CA
No Kern County-specific ordinance directly restricts leaf blower use, hours, or decibel levels in unincorporated areas; the county's general noise rules and ...
Kern County, CA
Stationary noise sources at commercial and industrial sites within 500 feet of residentially developed and zoned property in unincorporated Kern County may n...
Kern County, CA
Kern County does not impose local aircraft-overflight noise restrictions; aircraft noise is federally preempted by the FAA. The county participates in a FAR ...
Kern County, CA
Section 7.08.380 of the Kern County Code makes it unlawful to keep or harbor any animal whose howling, yelping, barking, or other noise disturbs or annoys a ...
Kern County, CA
Unincorporated Kern County has no blanket ban on storing an operable, registered RV or boat at home, but zoning parking requirements (§ 19.82.020), the 72-ho...
Kern County, CA
California law requires Kern County to approve applications to install electric vehicle charging stations administratively through a nondiscretionary buildin...
See how Kern County's data center zoning & siting rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.