Irwindale CA data center ban ordinance (2026)
Irwindale, California — City Council Unanimously Adopts an Ordinance PROHIBITING Data Centers Outright in the Zoning Code, Citing Continuous Electrical Demand Backed by Diesel or Gas Generators, Noise, and Cooling Water Use; Mayor Confirms No Ballot Initiative Is Planned, Unlike Neighbouring Monterey Park and Alhambra (September 2026)
Irwindale, CA · Irwindale, Cal. — zoning code ordinance prohibiting data centers, adopted unanimously September 16, 2026
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- September 16, 2026
- Applies to
- Data center developers, who may not site data centers in Irwindale under the zoning code
- Enforced by
- Irwindale City Council; city zoning administration
Irwindale's City Council unanimously approved an ordinance banning data centers in the city on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, writing the prohibition into the zoning code. This is a PERMANENT BAN, not a temporary moratorium — an important distinction, because most of the local measures in this dataset are pauses of 45 days to 18 months while officials write rules. Irwindale decided not to write rules. The city's stated reasons, recorded when it recently updated its zoning code, were data centers' substantial and continuous electrical demand often supported by diesel or gas-powered backup generators, significant noise, significant water use for cooling systems, and the pressure such facilities create for related infrastructure and land-use changes. Mayor Manuel Ortiz framed the ordinance as compatible with growth: Irwindale should remain open to responsible economic development while carefully weighing the impact data centers would create. Irwindale joins a dense San Gabriel Valley cluster — El Monte and Monterey Park have both imposed bans or moratoriums. Two of those neighbours went further than an ordinance: Monterey Park and Alhambra approved BALLOT INITIATIVES putting the ban to voters, on the theory that a voter-enacted ban is harder to undo, since a future council can only overturn it with another ballot measure. Irwindale's mayor says the city has no plans for a ballot initiative, which means its ban rests on an ordinary council majority and a future council could repeal it.
Who is protected: Irwindale residents in Los Angeles County, California
Legal detail
Irwindale, Calif. (Los Angeles County, San Gabriel Valley) — ZONING CODE PROHIBITION on data centers adopted UNANIMOUSLY by the City Council by ordinance on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026. THIS IS A PROHIBITION, NOT A MORATORIUM: the source reports the city 'ban[s] data centers in its zoning code,' placing this with Monterey Park Data Center Ban (Measure NDC), Edgewater FL AI data center ban (2026), Escambia County FL large-scale data center ban (2026) and Jersey City NJ data center ban in industrial zones (Ord. 26-057) rather than with the interim-urgency cohort (Gilroy CA interim urgency data center moratorium (2026), Palm Springs Data Center Moratorium (2026)). FINDINGS RECITED IN THE ORDINANCE RECORD, per the source: (1) substantial and continuous electrical demand, OFTEN SUPPORTED BY DIESEL OR GAS-POWERED BACKUP generation; (2) significant noise generation; (3) significant water usage for cooling systems; (4) pressure for related infrastructure and land-use changes. Council directed staff and legal counsel to prepare a prohibiting ordinance after recognising these potential environmental impacts and compatibility concerns following a recent Zoning Code update. THE DURABILITY POINT IS THE ANALYTICALLY IMPORTANT ONE. The source records that MONTEREY PARK AND ALHAMBRA COUNCILS 'GONE FURTHER THAN ORDINANCE BANS, APPROVING BALLOT INITIATIVES TO LET VOTERS DECIDE' — and states the proponents' rationale explicitly: 'ballot initiative bans are a stronger safeguard against the technology; a future council looking to overturn can only do so with another ballot initiative.' ALHAMBRA'S BALLOT MEASURE IS UP FOR A VOTE IN NOVEMBER (UNINDEXED LEAD — no Alhambra entry exists in this dataset). IRWINDALE'S MAYOR ORTIZ STATES THERE ARE NO PLANS FOR A BALLOT INITIATIVE, so Irwindale's ban is repealable by a simple future council majority. This is the clearest statement in the dataset of the ordinance-versus-initiative entrenchment tradeoff. SAN GABRIEL VALLEY CLUSTER: the source names EL MONTE and MONTEREY PARK as having imposed bans and moratoriums; only Monterey Park is currently indexed (Monterey Park Data Center Ban (Measure NDC)). EL MONTE AND ALHAMBRA ARE UNINDEXED LEADS. UTILITY RESPONSE: Southern California Edison spokesperson Scott Johnson said SCE was aware of the ordinance but noted 'data center growth is more moderate than many other regions in the country' for electrical consumption in its territory. ORDINANCE NUMBER NOT OBTAINED; the ordinance's effective date (California ordinances ordinarily take effect 30 days after adoption unless adopted as an urgency measure) IS NOT STATED IN THE SOURCE.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Irwindale, CA |
|---|---|
| Level | City / local |
| Strength | Stronger |
| Enacted | September 16, 2026 |
| Citation | Irwindale, Cal. — zoning code ordinance prohibiting data centers, adopted unanimously September 16, 2026 |
| Private right of action | No, agency enforcement only |
| Penalties | Data centers are prohibited as a use under the Irwindale zoning code |
| Topics | data-center siting and energy · consumer protection · government use of AI |
| News report | Irwindale approves data center ban, adding to growing list of San Gabriel Valley cities — San Gabriel Valley Tribune |
Related data-center siting and energy rules elsewhere
- Superior WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Dane County WI Hyperscale Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- Madison WI Data Center Moratorium (1-year) · In effect
- Manitowoc County WI Data Center Moratorium · In effect
- WA SB 5982 (Data Center / Clean Energy) · In effect
- Dayton OH data center moratorium (180-day, Apr 2026) · In effect
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