Santa Cruz County has no dedicated data-center ordinance. On unincorporated land a data center is regulated only as an industrial use, allowed in the M-1 or M-2 districts under SCCC 13.10.342, requiring a use permit plus CEQA review. The county's cities set their own zoning.
Under Title 13, Chapter 13.10, the county reserves industrial uses for the M-1 Light Industrial, M-2 Heavy Industrial, and M-3 Mineral Extraction districts. No data center appears in the Industrial Uses Chart (Table 13.10.342-1), so the Planning Director classifies it as a use of the same general character as a listed industrial use and applies the matching permit — typically an Administrative or Conditional Use Permit under Chapter 18.10. Any discretionary approval triggers CEQA review, and new industrial structures in the coastal zone plus a one-mile buffer face added Coastal Development Permit limits under SCCC 13.20.050. Chapter 13.10 governs unincorporated land only; Santa Cruz, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, and Capitola apply their own codes.
Building a data center outside the M-1 or M-2 districts, or without the required use permit, CEQA clearance, or Coastal Development Permit, is a zoning violation. The county can withhold permits and issue stop-work orders until the project conforms.
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