What does Hawthorne's data center moratorium cover?

The Hawthorne City Council adopted Ordinance U-2271 on October 13, 2026, extending its data center moratorium to September 8, 2027, unless the city acts again. The pause gives the city time to study potential impacts and develop applicable regulations. It doesn’t establish permanent zoning rules.

Section 4 covers approvals that would allow data center uses. Ordinary home, ADU and remodel permits unrelated to those uses aren’t covered. For buyers and sellers, the scope of that language matters when considering what the moratorium means for a property.

What did the council adopt?

The council adopted an interim urgency ordinance extending its temporary moratorium on establishing or expanding data center uses in Hawthorne.

The earlier ordinance, U-2270, established a 45-day moratorium on September 8, 2026. U-2271 adds 10 months and 15 days. It appeared as item 10 on the October 13 council agenda, with Planning listed as the originating department.

The posted ordinance ends with adoption language dated October 13, and Patch reported approval of the extension on October 23. The council’s October 13 minutes weren’t yet posted when checked on October 27, 2026.

Which approvals does the pause cover?

Section 4 covers entitlements, licenses and permits that would allow data center uses, including building permits and business licenses.

The ordinance, attached to the agenda item page, sets the endpoint at 11:59 pm on September 8, 2027. Its scope turns on the use the approval would allow. A reference to building permits doesn’t mean every building permit in Hawthorne is paused.

For a particular application, the question is whether the entitlement, license or permit would allow a data center use. That wording is the connection to check when reading Section 4, rather than treating the document as a general pause on development.

The ordinance invokes Government Code Section 65858. Section 6 provides for immediate effect upon adoption by a vote of at least four-fifths of the council.

Why is Hawthorne studying data centers?

Hawthorne says it needs time to study potential resource demands and other land use effects before developing applicable regulations.

Finding D identifies electricity and water use, cooling equipment and its noise-generating potential, greenhouse gas generation, and wastewater disposal. It also asks whether utility providers can meet high demand without disrupting surrounding utility users. These are the city’s stated subjects for study, not confirmation that a particular project has caused those effects.

Finding E also identifies potential air quality and aesthetic effects, along with possible effects on property values and neighborhood quality of life. It doesn’t establish that any home has lost value.

The Planning Department’s agenda bill connects the action to the city’s Economic Development Strategic Plan goal of updating the zoning code for the 21st Century.

What does the ordinance say about existing facilities?

The ordinance identifies at least two facilities that could be considered data centers or could readily transition into that use, but it doesn’t identify their locations.

Finding C describes former or current telephone company call switching facilities. Their switching moved from manual systems to electronic and computerized systems in the 1960s and 70s. That history is part of the city’s explanation for examining the use.

It isn’t evidence that a new data center is planned at a particular site. The ordinance names no company, street or proposed project.

Finding B says the Hawthorne Municipal Code doesn’t define the land use data center. Finding F separately says the moratorium isn’t directed toward a business currently seeking to use HMC Chapter 17.13, Nonconformities. Those findings describe the city’s reasons and the ordinance’s relationship to that chapter; they don’t identify a proposed development.

What should you check before buying nearby?

You can read the ordinance and agenda, then check with the Hawthorne Planning Department about the study’s status and any proposed zoning amendment.

That is a useful starting point if you’re considering property near Hawthorne’s commercial or industrial areas. The documents explain the pause, but they don’t provide a map of the facilities discussed in the findings.

I. had been following activity around an industrial property when someone told her Hawthorne had adopted a data center moratorium. She took that to mean every data center proposal had been rejected. After reviewing what a moratorium generally does, she realized the more useful questions were what projects it covers, how long the pause lasts, and whether any applications are exempt. The word sounded final, but the practical effect depended on the ordinance’s scope. She wanted those details before deciding what the announcement meant for the nearby parcel.

For a separate discussion of buying near industrial uses, see buying near warehouses in Perris.

What does this mean when you’re selling?

The ordinance gives you a specific land use action to discuss, but it doesn’t establish a change in your home’s value.

Keep the description tied to the document: Hawthorne has paused approvals for data center uses while studying regulations. The ordinance makes no finding about homeowner electricity or water bills, insurance, or a change in home prices.

If you’re preparing information for a sale, the California seller disclosure guide is a separate resource. The ordinance’s list of potential effects isn’t a finding about your property.

You can also follow future council agendas for proposed permanent rules.

Has Hawthorne settled its permanent rules?

Hawthorne is studying regulations; Ordinance U-2271 doesn’t establish a permanent data center ban or the content of future rules.

Section 3 says the city found the ordinance exempt from CEQA. The ordinance doesn’t authorize new development entitlements, and a proposed project would receive environmental review as part of its own entitlement review. The moratorium and a project’s review are distinct actions.

For context on a separate city’s zoning action, see Adelanto’s data center zoning amendment. Its rules don’t answer questions about Hawthorne.

Likewise, the 100-unit Hawthorne Boulevard housing proposal concerns a different land use matter.

The short version

Hawthorne’s U-2271 pauses approvals allowing data center uses through September 8, 2027, unless the city acts again.

It doesn’t pause ordinary residential permits unrelated to those uses, identify a proposed data center site, or establish that a home has lost value. Read Section 4 for the scope, ask the Planning Department about the study and proposed zoning amendments, and follow council agendas for permanent rules.

This guide is educational, not legal or tax advice.

For a separate look at your property’s value, use the home value tool.