Pasadena, CA Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)
Key Facts
- Dedicated ordinance
- None; study underway
- Industrial zone
- IG Industrial, General
- Data center use
- Not listed in code
- Permit path
- Case-by-case classification
- Study directed
- March 11, 2026
Summary
Pasadena's zoning code has no data-center use category. A proposal is classified case-by-case into the closest existing use - Research and Development, Industry, or Communications facilities - and directed to the IG General Industrial zone. On March 11, 2026, a City committee ordered staff to draft dedicated rules.
Table 2-5 identifies the uses of land allowed by this Zoning Code in the commercial zoning districts, and the land use permit required to establish each use, in compliance with Section 17.21.030 (Allowable Land Uses and Permit Requirements).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Pasadena's Title 17 Zoning Code (Table 2-5) names no "data center" use. Principal Planner Martin Potter told the Municipal Services Committee that a submitted project would "have to look at it on an individual basis." Staff would classify it into the nearest listed use - Research and Development, Industry standard, Communications facilities, or Utility - and site it in the IG (Industrial, General) zone. A Utility, major use needs a Conditional Use Permit; R&D, Industry, and Communications facilities are permitted with a Code Compliance Certificate. Discretionary permits trigger CEQA. On March 11, 2026, the committee directed staff to develop dedicated data-center zoning before applications arrive.
Violations & Fines
Building or operating a data center outside the IG industrial zone, or without a required Conditional Use Permit for a major utility use, is a Zoning Code violation enforced by Planning through stop-work orders and abatement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can data centers be built in Pasadena?
Does Pasadena have a data-center ordinance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasadena
California rules heatmap·Compare Pasadena to another location·View the California data centers & crypto mining overview
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