Santa Ana, CA Data Centers & Crypto Mining: Data Center Zoning & Siting (2026)
Key Facts
- Code
- Sec. 41-472.5(r) (Ord. NS-3038)
- Districts
- M1 and M2 industrial
- Approval
- Planning Commission CUP
- Siting Finding
- 500 ft arterial / 1,000 ft freeway
- Max Height
- 35 feet (M1)
Summary
Santa Ana names "data center uses" as a conditional use in its M1 (Light Industrial) district under Municipal Code Sec. 41-472.5(r), added by Ordinance No. NS-3038 in 2023. A Planning Commission conditional use permit and CEQA review are required, and the same rule reaches the M2 district.
Data center uses; provided that no conditional use permit shall be granted unless a written finding is made that the parcel on which the use is proposed is: not within five hundred (500) feet of an arterial street (as defined in the city's circulation element) or freeway, or within one thousand (1,000) feet of a freeway intersection.(s)Indoor sport facility, subject to development and operational standards set forth in section 41-482. (Ord. No. NS-1732, § 42, 6-25-84; Ord. No. NS-1834, § 2, 2-3-86; Ord. No. NS-1934, § 2, 11-16-87; Ord. No. NS-1979, § 1, 11-15-88; Ord. No. NS-2122, § 3, 4-15-91; Ord. No. NS-2275, § 10, 12-18-95; Ord. No. NS-2306, § 2, 12-2-96; Ord. No. NS-2316, § 1, 3-17-97; Ord. No. NS-2445, § 12, 9-18-00; Ord. No. NS-2446, § 22, 9-18-00; Ord. No. NS-2470, § 6, 5-21-01; Ord. No. NS-2494, § 10, 4-15-02; Ord. No. NS-2776, § 5, 9-2-08; Ord. No. NS-3004, § 5, 5-4-21; Ord. No. NS-3007, § 4, 7-6-21; Ord. No. NS-3038, § 27, 2-7-23)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 32).
Full Breakdown
Santa Ana expressly lists "data center uses" as a conditional use. Section 41-472.5(r), added by Ordinance No. NS-3038 (adopted February 7, 2023), requires a conditional use permit approved by the Planning Commission after a public hearing, which triggers CEQA review. The permit cannot be granted unless a written finding shows the parcel is not within 500 feet of an arterial street or freeway, or within 1,000 feet of a freeway intersection. Because Section 41-489 makes M2 (Heavy Industrial) subject to all M1 regulations, the same requirement applies in both industrial districts. Buildings top out at 35 feet (Sec. 41-474), and an eight-foot wall is required along any lot line abutting residential land, with electric substations similarly enclosed (Sec. 41-473).
Violations & Fines
Building or operating a data center without the required Planning Commission conditional use permit is a zoning violation, subject to stop-work orders and code enforcement action by the Santa Ana Planning and Building Agency.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Ana
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