Title 14

Part 6 — IG—General Industrial District

Watsonville Zoning Code · 2026-06 edition · ingested 2026-07-07 · Watsonville

14-16.600 Purpose.

The purpose of the General Industrial District is to provide and protect an environment which will encourage sound industrial development. These regulations are intended to facilitate industrial operations to the highest degree while protecting the district and adjacent land uses, persons, and property from excessive noise, odor, dust, dirt, smoke, vibration, heat, glare, heavy traffic, and other objectional influences and from fire, explosion, fumes, radiation, and other hazards.

(Ord. 506-80 C-M, eff. September 11, 1980)

14-16.601 Principal permitted uses.

All principal permitted and accessory uses shall be subject to the approval of an Administrative Review Permit issued without a public hearing by the Zoning Administrator.

INDUSTRIAL—NONMANUFACTURING

All nonmanufacturing uses shall be subject to review and to minimum Performance Standards.

GLU 10 Lumber and other building
material dealers
11 Public warehousing, excluding
114

794-3

(Watsonville Supp. No. xx, 10-25)

14-16.602

12 Wholesaling
Exclusion: DLU 1229
13 Transportation services
14 Manufacturing research and
development
16 Contractors, general and heavy
17 Construction special trade
contractors
18 Vacant industrial
nonmanufacturing buildings
and uses.
19 Heavy commercial uses
Exclusions: DLU 192, 194 and
199
4833 Satellite earth station antennas
INDUSTRIAL—MANUFACTURING

All manufacturing uses shall be subject to review and to minimum Performance Standards.

GLU 20
21
Food and kindred products
Ordnance and accessories
22 Generalized manufacturing
GLU 23 Apparel and other products
made from fabrics
24 Lumber and wood products,
except furniture
25 Furniture and fixtures
26
27
30
31
32
Paper and allied products
Printing, publishing, and
reproduction
Rubber, plastic, and leather
products
Vacant manufacturing
buildings and uses
Stone, clay, and glass products
33 Primary metal industries
34 Fabricated metal products
35 Machinery, except electrical
36 Electrical machinery,
equipment, and supplies
37
38
Transportation equipment
Instrument manufacturing
39 Miscellaneous manufacturing
industries
--- --- ---

(Ord. 506-80 C-M, eff. September 11, 1980, as amended by § 2, Ord. 850-90 C-M, eff. October 11, 1990, Ord. 1153-03 C-M, eff. April 24, 2003, § 1, Ord. 1181-04 C-M, eff. November 26, 2004, and § 2(3) (Exh. A), Ord. 1481-25 (CM), eff. October 9, 2025)

14-16.602 Accessory uses.

Uses and buildings customarily appurtenant or incidental to a principal permitted use on the same parcel, subject to applicable regulations and Performance Standards, including service facilities, such as cafeterias, employee recreation facilities, and other similar installations intended solely for use by the occupants of a principal permitted use or uses; and watchman or caretaker’s residential quarters as an accessory use.

(Ord. 506-80 C-M, eff. September 11, 1980)

14-16.603 Conditional uses.

(a) The following uses require an Administrative Use Permit: temporary buildings, structures, outdoor storage areas, office uses in conjunction with a valid building permit application for remodeling or new construction.

DLU 115 Cannabis distribution facility
(Type 11 license)
115 Type 9 cannabis delivery for
cultivation/manufacturing
facilities only
2 Cannabis manufacturing (Type
6 or 7 license) volatile and/or
nonvolatile solvents
6291 Cannabis testing lab (Type 8
license)

(b) The following uses require a Special Use Permit:

GLU 15 Minerals and petroleum,
wholesale

794-4

(Watsonville Supp. No. xx, 10-25)

14-16.603

28 Chemicals and allied products DLU 63 Automotive repair, services,
and garages
29 Petroleum products refining
and storage
64 Repair services, miscellaneous
40 Railroad transportation 651 Dance studio
41 Transit, local and suburban 6791 Artist studio
42 Motor freight transportation 692 Utility company offices
43 Right-of-way transportation 715 Industrial trade school
44 Water transportation 731 City garage
45 Air transportation 733 Fire station
46 Pipeline transportation 734 Police station
47 Utilities, R/W 78 Armory
48 Communication 7911 Business and trade organization
49 Electric, gas, and sanitary
service
7913 Labor union office
7917 Social service and welfare
organizations which are IRS
501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit
corporations
4811 Telecommunications sites
4812 Telecommunications facilities
DLU 50 Retail cannabis facility (Type
10 license only)
GLU 91 Indoor cultivation of cannabis
up to twenty-two thousand
(22,000) square feet (Type 1A,
2A or 3A license)
51 Service station
551 Motor vehicle dealers—new
and used
NONURBAN, AGRICULTURAL, AND
EXTRACTIVE LAND (NEW USES ONLY)
552 Used car sales and display
555 Recreation vehicles and mobile
homes, sales and displays
GLU 90 Extensive land uses, mining
5811 Restaurant
91 Irrigated agriculture
5811 Restaurant with beer and wine
sales
92 Nonirrigated agriculture
93 Pasture, native vegetation,
pastured range, grass
5811 Restaurant with liquor sales
5811 Restaurant with bar
94 Animals, agriculture
5812 Eating and drinking places
Exclusions: drive-through
facilities
95 Reservoirs, water supply,
irrigation lands
96 Woodland, forest, and brush
5814 Donuts/pastry shops
97 Water areas, river, lake
618 Cabinet or furniture, custom
manufacturing
98 Wetlands, slough, marsh,
swamp, tidal flats
6193 Equipment rental and leasing
services
99 Testing facilities
DLU 114 Mini storage, household goods
6212 Outdoor advertising company
05 Farmworker housing
624 Service to buildings,
machinery, and property
4583 Crop dusting operation
6297 Automatic merchandising
companies
Radioactive materials,
manufacture and use of

794-5

(Watsonville Supp. No. xx, 10-25)

14-16.603.1

(c) Any building with a height over three (3) stories or thirty-five (35') feet requires a Special Use Permit.

(Ord. 506-80 C-M, eff. September 11, 1980, as amended by § 3, Ord. 659-84 C-M, eff. December 27, 1984, § 1, Ord. 754-87 C-M, eff. October 8, 1987, § 1, Ord. 772-88, eff. February 11, 1988, § 1, Ord. 844-90 C-M, eff. July 26, 1990, § 2, Ord. 850-90 C-M, eff. October 11, 1990, Ord. 1095-00 C-M, eff. October 12, 2000, § 1, Ord. 1135-02 C-M, eff. September 10, 2002, Ord. 1153-03 C-M, eff. April 24, 2003, § 1, Ord. 1276-11 (CM), eff. August 11, 2011, § 1, Ord. 1327-16 (CM), eff. February 25, 2016, § 1, Ord. 1405-20 (CM), eff. July 23, 2020, § 1, Ord. 1421-21 (CM), eff. October 28, 2021, and § 2(3) (Exh. A), Ord. 1481-25 (CM), eff. October 9, 2025)

14-16.603.1 Prohibited uses.

The following uses are specifically prohibited within the IG General Industrial District:

DLU 194 Auto Dismantler, Auto
Wreckers, Auto Parts Dealers
199 Junkyard
541 Convenience store
541 Convenience store with beer
and wine sales
541 Convenience store with liquor
sales
541 Grocery store
541 Grocery store with beer and
wine sales
541 Grocery store with liquor sales
582 Bar
592 Liquor Store
496 Waste/Recycle processing and
transfer station

(§ 1, Ord. 1135-02 C-M, eff. September 10, 2002, as amended by § 1, Ord. 1181-04 C-M, eff. November 26, 2004, and § 1, Ord. 1225-07 (CM), eff. November 8, 2007)

14-16.604 District regulations.

The following regulations shall be observed in the General Industrial District for the use proposed, except as otherwise provided in this title or as modified by Special Use Permit:

(a) Minimum lot area and dimensions.

Area (interior lot) 5,000 square feet
Area (corner lot) 5,000 square feet
Frontage (interior) 25 feet
Frontage (corner) 50 feet

(b) Minimum yard setback requirements.

Front of structure 0
Side (interior) 0**
Side (street) 0
Rear 0**
Distance between buildings
on the same lot
As allowed by
Uniform Building
Code

(c) Maximum building height and lot coverage.

All buildings 35 feet*
Lot coverage, total structures 100%
  • Except as may be approved by exception by Special Use Permit.

  • ** Except where abutting the boundary of any other zoning district, then not less than the minimum yard required to the adjacent yard in said abutting zoning district.

  • (Ord. 506-80 C-M, eff. September 11, 1980)