Lynn, MA Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)
Key Facts
- By-right districts
- Industrial Light (IL) and Industrial Heavy (IH)
- Special-permit districts
- R4, B1, B2, BC, M1, M2, RD, RT
- Not allowed
- Civic, R1, R2, R3, Medical Village
- Permit lapse
- 3 years if construction not substantially begun
- Section
- Zoning Ordinance §§ 3.B, 12.C.2.j.i
Summary
Lynn zones data centers as an 'Indoor telecommunications' use, and the Table of Use Regulations allows it by right only in the Industrial Light and Industrial Heavy districts. Everywhere else it can be sited, the R4 residential district and the B1, B2, BC, M1, M2, RD and RT districts, a data center needs a special permit from the City Council.
Commercial CIV R1 R2 R3 R4 B1 B2 BC M1 M2 MV RD RT IL IH ... Indoor telecommunications X X X X SP SP SP SP SP SP X SP SP P P ... j. Indoor telecommunications: Facilities primarily used for indoor telecommunication purposes, including: i. Data Center: A facility used for information storage and processing services and housing computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
Section 12.C.2.j.i of the Zoning Ordinance defines a Data Center as 'a facility used for information storage and processing services and housing computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems,' grouped with Telecommunications Buildings, Server Farms and Telephone Central Buildings under the broader 'Indoor telecommunications' use category. The Table of Use Regulations in Section 3.B lists Indoor telecommunications as 'X' in the Civic, R1, R2, R3 and Medical Village districts, meaning it is not allowed there without a zoning amendment; as 'SP' in R4, B1, B2, BC, M1, M2, RD and RT, meaning the City Council may grant a special permit under Section 3.B.3.b subject to whatever restrictions the Council sets; and as 'P' only in the Industrial Light and Industrial Heavy districts, where Section 3.B.3.a lets the use proceed by right subject to restrictions set elsewhere in the Ordinance.
A special-permit application for a data center in any SP district follows the standard special permit procedure in Section 11.D, including the three-year lapse rule for permits not substantially used or under construction, and any consultant or administrative fees the granting authority adopts under Section 11.D.7.
Violations & Fines
Operating a data center use in a district marked 'X,' or without the required special permit in an 'SP' district, is a zoning violation the Building Commissioner enforces under Section 11.A. A special permit that lapses under Section 11.D.8 because construction has not substantially begun within three years of the grant, absent good cause, forces the operator back through the special permit process before continuing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can a data center locate by right in Lynn?
Does a Lynn data center need a special permit in other districts?
How does Lynn's zoning ordinance define a data center?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lynn
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