San Mateo County has no data center ordinance, and its unincorporated land is largely rural, residential, coastal, and agricultural with little industrial zoning. A data center on unincorporated land would need a use permit under the Development Code plus CEQA review. The county's actual data centers sit inside incorporated cities.
Unincorporated San Mateo County is governed by the County Development Code, adopted as Title 8 on October 8, 2024, which zones land into residential, commercial, agricultural, timberland, coastal, and resource-protection districts far more than heavy industrial ones. There is no data-center-specific chapter. A data center is not a listed permitted use, so it would require a discretionary use permit under Section 8.280.010, plus CEQA review and, on the coast side, a Coastal Development Permit under the California Coastal Act. Unincorporated land offers little industrial acreage, and the data centers associated with San Mateo County sit within incorporated cities such as South San Francisco, Redwood City, and the City of San Mateo, each applying its own zoning code.
Building a data center on unincorporated San Mateo County land without a use permit, CEQA clearance, or a required Coastal Development Permit halts approval and draws county Planning and Building enforcement, including stop-work orders, until the project is properly permitted.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in San Mateo County.
See how other cities in San Mateo County handle data center zoning & siting.
See how South San Francisco's data center zoning & siting rules stack up against other locations.
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