Madera County has no dedicated data center ordinance. In unincorporated areas a data center is an industrial use, sited in the IL (Industrial, Light) or IH (Industrial, Heavy) districts under the county Zoning Ordinance, needing a Conditional Use Permit and CEQA review. Madera and Chowchilla zone their own land.
Unincorporated Madera County regulates data centers only through its general Zoning Ordinance (Title 18) and General Plan, not a data-center chapter. A server facility is an industrial use and belongs in the IL (Industrial, Light) or IH (Industrial, Heavy) districts, which implement the Light Industrial/Business Park and Heavy Industrial General Plan designations (max floor-area ratio 0.50). Because a data center is not a named use, the Planning Director classifies it against the closest listed industrial use; a large facility carrying utility-scale power and cooling typically needs a discretionary Conditional Use Permit, triggering CEQA review and an acoustical analysis where homes are nearby. Title 18 governs only unincorporated land; Madera and Chowchilla zone within their own city limits.
Building or expanding a data center in unincorporated Madera County outside an IL or IH district, without a required Conditional Use Permit, or without 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.
Madera, CA
City of Madera Code §3-11.01 prohibits any unnecessary noise that is physically annoying to a person of ordinary sensitivity, or which is harsh, prolonged, u...
Madera, CA
Amplified music, DJs, and outdoor speakers in Madera are governed by §3-11.01 (unlawful noise) and Chapter 11's party-response provisions. Madera Police can ...
Madera, CA
The City of Madera has not adopted a gas leaf-blower ban. Leaf blowers must comply with §3-11.01's unnecessary-noise standard and California's statewide AB 1...
Madera, CA
Under Madera City Code §5-1.26, any dog (or other animal) that habitually or continually disturbs the peace of any neighborhood by barking, howling, or yelpi...
Madera, CA
The City of Madera does not publish a numeric construction-hours table; construction noise is enforced under the §3-11.01 unnecessary-noise standard plus Bui...
Madera, CA
Madera Title V (Traffic) restricts commercial vehicle parking in residential zones to active loading/unloading periods. Long-haul rigs, dump trucks, and comm...
See how Madera's data center zoning & siting rules stack up against other locations.
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