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.
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Backyard composting of yard and food scraps is allowed in unincorporated Madera County if it does not create odor or vector nuisances. Statewide, California'...
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Madera County does not publish a countywide ban on artificial turf for the unincorporated areas. California Civil Code § 4735 protects a homeowner's right to...
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Native and drought-tolerant landscaping is encouraged in unincorporated Madera County, and California law protects a homeowner's right to install it. Governm...
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Capturing rooftop rainwater for landscape use is broadly allowed in unincorporated Madera County. California's Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 (Water Code § 10...
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Madera County Code Chapter 7.26 declares weeds in the unincorporated areas a seasonal, recurring fire and public-health nuisance. The Fire Department mails n...
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Madera County does not publish a general private-property tree-removal permit ordinance for the unincorporated areas. Native oak woodlands are addressed thro...
See how Madera County's data center zoning & siting rules stack up against other locations.
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