Contra Costa County has no dedicated data-center ordinance. In the unincorporated county, a data center is treated as an industrial use, allowed in the L-I, H-I, C-M, or W-3 industrial districts under Title 8, with a land use permit and CEQA review. Most industrial land sits inside the 19 cities.
Contra Costa County regulates data centers only through general industrial zoning, not a data-center-specific chapter. Its Ordinance Code Title 8 has no data-center, server-farm, or computing-facility use class, so a large server building is classified as an industrial use. That places it in the L-I Light Industrial (Chapter 84-58), H-I Heavy Industrial (Chapter 84-62), C-M Controlled Manufacturing (Chapter 84-56), or W-3 Controlled Heavy Industrial (Chapter 84-60) districts. Many industrial uses require a land use permit under each district's use regulations, and discretionary approval triggers California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review. This governs only unincorporated land; the county is largely incorporated, and the refinery corridor around Richmond, Martinez, and Antioch lies mostly inside cities that zone their own data centers.
Building a data center on land not zoned L-I, H-I, C-M, or W-3, or skipping a required land use permit or CEQA review, is a zoning violation. Contra Costa County can withhold permits, issue stop-work orders, and pursue code enforcement.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Contra Costa County, CA
Vehicle noise in unincorporated Contra Costa County is enforced under the California Vehicle Code: mufflers are required (CVC Β§27150), modified exhausts can'...
Contra Costa County, CA
Unincorporated Contra Costa County enforces quiet hours of 10 p.m.β7 a.m. on weeknights and 10 p.m.β8 a.m. on weekends, using a plainly-audible standard β no...
Contra Costa County, CA
Contra Costa County's Noisy Animal Ordinance (County Code Β§416-12.202) makes it a violation for an animal to create noise 30 continuous minutes or 60 intermi...
Contra Costa County, CA
Unincorporated Contra Costa County restricts amplified music that is plainly audible inside a neighbor's closed home, prohibits nighttime amplification from ...
Contra Costa County, CA
Construction in unincorporated Contra Costa County is limited to 7 a.m.β7 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.β5 p.m. Saturdays, with no construction on Sundays or holid...
Contra Costa County, CA
Gas and electric lawn equipment in unincorporated Contra Costa County may generally be operated between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM on weekdays and 8:00 AM to 5:00 P...
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