Chapter 20.12 - Industrial Zoning Districts#

20.12.010 - Purpose of the industrial zoning districts.#

A. Light Industrial (I-L)#

The I-L zoning district provides areas for manufacturing, wholesale, and storage activities that meet city standards to ensure compatibility with surrounding areas and that maintain and strengthen the economic base of the city. I-L districts shall have a minimum size of five (5) acres.§

B. Heavy Industrial (I-H)#

The I-H zoning district provides areas for a full range of industrial land uses, including operations that necessitate the storage of hazardous or unsightly materials, and encourages sound industrial development by providing and protecting an environment exclusively to insure the protection of surrounding areas. I-H districts shall have a minimum size of ten (10) acres.§

(Ord. No. 2465, § 2(Exhs. A., B.), 9-19-2016)

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20.12.020 - Land use regulations for industrial zoning districts.#

A. Permitted Uses#

Table 20.12-1 identifies land uses permitted in industrial zoning districts.

Table 20.12-1 Permitted Land Uses in the Industrial Zoning Districts#

Key		Zoning District[1]
P — Permitted Use		I-L	I-H
M — Minor Use Permit Required
SP — Site Plan Review Permit Required
C — Conditional Use Permit Required
X — Use Not Allowed

Land Use	I-L	I-H	Additional Regulations
Residential Uses
Caretaker's Home	SP	X
Community Uses
Colleges and Trade Schools	C	X
Instructional Services	C [2]	X
Public Safety Facilities	SP	C
Commercial Uses
Adult Entertainment Businesses	SP	SP	Chapters 5.58 and 20.60
Building Supplies/Home Improvement Stores	SP	X
Business Support Services	SP	X
Equipment Sales and Rental	SP	X
Gas and Service Stations/Car Washes	SP [5]	SP [5]	Section 20.44.070
Horticultural Nurseries, Retail	C	X
Horticultural Nurseries, Wholesale	SP	X
Medical Marijuana Dispensaries	Refer to Table 20.44-1 in § 20.44.170 for permitted land uses for all commercial cannabis business activities.
Mobile Food Vendors	C	C	Chapter 5.54 & 20.44.020
Restaurants	C [4]	C [4]
Retail (Products Manufactured On-site Only)	SP [3]	SP [3]
Vehicle Repair and Maintenance	SP [5]	SP [5]
Industrial Uses
Construction and Material Yards	SP	SP
Manufacturing and Processing, Light	SP	SP
Manufacturing and Processing, General	SP	SP
Manufacturing and Processing, Heavy	X	SP [6]	Section 20.12.020.B
Research and Development	SP	SP
Wrecking and Salvage Establishments	X	C	Section 20.44.140
Transportation, Communication, and Utility Uses
Freight Terminals	X	SP
Public/Mini Storage	SP	X
Recycling Collection Facilities, Small	SP	X	Section 20.44.090
Recycling Collection Facilities, Large	SP	SP	Section 20.44.090
Recycling Processing Facilities	SP	SP	Section 20.44.090
Utilities, Major	C	SP
Utilities, Minor	SP	SP
Warehousing, Wholesaling and Distribution	SP	SP
Wireless Communications Facilities	See Chapter 20.58

Notes:

[1] A site plan review permit may be required per Chapter 20.32 (Interface Regulations) regardless of the uses shown in Table 20.12-1.

[2] Limited to fitness, gymnastics, and other similar recreational sports and health facilities.

[3] Permitted only as an ancillary showroom use for goods manufactured onsite, not to occupy more than ten (10) percent of the total building floor area unless a site plan review permit is obtained for additional floor area.

[4] May be permitted only as an ancillary use to serve employees, not to occupy more than two thousand five hundred (2,500) square feet with no outside advertising, unless a conditional use permit is obtained.

[5] Limited to fleet operations only.

[6] All manufacturing of materials listed in the Section 20.12.020.B is prohibited unless the planning commission determines otherwise through a conditional use permit.

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B. Prohibited Uses#

The manufacturing of the following materials are prohibited unless the planning commission determines otherwise through a conditional use permit process.

1. Asphalt, cement, charcoal, and fuel briquettes.

2. Aniline dyes, ammonia, carbide, caustic soda, cellulose, chlorine, carbon black and bone black, creosote, hydrogen and oxygen, industrial alcohol, nitrates of an explosive nature, potash, pyroxylin, rayon yarn, and hydrochloric, nitric phosphoric, picric, and sulphuric acids.

3. Coal, coke, and tar products, including use in other manufacturing; explosives, fertilizers, gelatin, animal glue, and size.

4. Turpentine, matches, and other than water-based paint.

5. Rubber and soaps, including fat rendering.

6. Flour mill.

7. Processing of nitrating of cotton or other materials; magnesium foundry; reduction, refining, smelting and alloying of metal or metal ores; refining petroleum products, such as gasoline, kerosene, naphtha, lubricating oil, distillation of wood or bones; storage, curing or tanning of raw, green or salted hides or skins.

8. Stockyards or slaughterhouses, except for poultry, animal feed or sales yard, fertilizer yard; slag piles.

9. Storage of fireworks or explosives, except where incidental to a permitted use.

10. Any other use which is determined by the planning commission to be of the same general character as the above uses.

(Ord. No. 2465, § 2(Exhs. A., B.), 9-19-2016; Ord. No. 2480, § 4, 12-4-2017)

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20.12.030 - Development standards for industrial zoning districts.#

A. General Standards#

Table 20.12-2 identifies development standards that apply to all parcels and structures located in industrial and manufacturing zoning districts. See Figure 20.12-1.

Figure 20.12-1 Industrial Development Standards#

Table 20.12-2 Development Standards for Industrial Zoning Districts#

Figure Label	Standard by Zone	I-L	I-H
	Parcel Area (min.)	20,000 sq. ft.	1 Acre
Yards (min.)
Ⓐ	Exterior	15 ft. [1]	15 ft. [1]
Ⓑ	Interior	20 ft. [2]	None
Ⓒ	Height (max.) [3]	None, except for adjacent to residential zones or within Airport Compatibility Plan area	None, except for adjacent to residential zones or within Airport Compatibility Plan area

Notes:

[1] When a parcel is located on a block with forty (40) percent of the parcels occupied by structures with exterior yards of less than fifteen (15) feet, the minimum setback shall be equal to the average exterior setback of structures on the block.§

[2] Interior yards less than twenty (20) feet are permitted for building in compliance with the Fire Code with approval of a site plan review permit.§

[3] The maximum height of industrial structures when directly adjacent to residential zones will be established with the site plan review permit/interface process, based on impacts to the adjacent residential uses.§ Industrial structures shall also comply with the Merced County Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan.

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B. Industrial Buffer Yards#

1. Industrial Buffer Yard Defined#

An industrial buffer yard is an area of plantings and walls that shields neighboring residential properties from negative impacts created by industrial land uses.

a. When Required#

An industrial buffer yard is required for any development within an industrial zone that is adjacent to a residential zone.

b. Buffer Yard Standards#

(1) Industrial buffer yards shall be located along the outer perimeter of a property line abutting a residential zone. See Figure 20.12-2.

(2) Residential side of the wall shall be landscaped and maintained by the property owner of the industrial use.

(3) The minimum width of an industrial buffer yard shall be twenty-five (25) feet.§

(4) Industrial buffer yards shall include a solid masonry or equivalent wall no less than six (6) feet in height.§

(5) Industrial buffer yards shall be planted with a mix of drought-tolerant, deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs of suitable type, size, and spacing to achieve screening year-round.§

(6) All plantings within an industrial buffer yard shall be maintained in a manner consistent with landscaping maintenance standards in Chapter 20.36 (Landscaping).

(7) Paved surfaces, except sidewalks, shall be prohibited within industrial buffer yards.§ Buffer yards shall not be used for parking, driveways, trash enclosures, building areas, or any other activity associated with the primary use on the property.

Figure 20.12-2 Industrial Buffer Yards#

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C. Performance Standards#

All land uses and structures in the industrial zones shall comply with the following performance standards. Applicants are responsible for providing compliance evidence for all applicable performance standards.

1. Noise#

a. Maximum Exposure#

No operation or activity shall transmit any noise exceeding 70 dBA between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.§ and 60 dBA between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. beyond the property line. Any uses abutting residential zoning shall not transmit any noise between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. beyond the property line. If any operation or activity proposed exceeds the maximum decibel level stated in this section, the applicant must submit a plan to mitigate noise in order to obtain building permits.

b. Exceptions#

Upon written application from the owner or operator of an industrial or commercial noise source, the review authority, as part of a permit approval, may conditionally authorize exceptions to local noise emission standards, including the times of day described in "a" above, based upon analysis supported by the department of development services, in the following situations:

(1) Infrequent noise;

(2) Noise levels at or anywhere beyond the property lines of the property of origin when exceeded by an exempt noise in the same location; and

(3) If, after applying best available control technology, a use existing prior to the effective date of this zoning ordinance is unable to conform to the standards established by this section.

2. Vibration#

No ground vibration, excluding vibration generated from motor vehicles, which is discernible by human senses for more than three (3) minutes or more duration in any 1 (one) hour, is permitted beyond the property line.§

3. Odor#

No objectionable odor or noxious gas emission which is discernible at any point beyond the property line is permitted.§

4. Air Quality#

All uses shall comply with applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations regarding contaminants and pollutants.§ This requirement includes, but is not limited to, emissions of suspended particles, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, odors, toxic or obnoxious gases and fumes.

5. Heat#

No use shall generate heat so that increased ambient air temperature or radiant heat is measurable at any exterior lot line.§

6. Radioactivity#

No radiation of any kind shall be emitted in quantities which are dangerous to humans.§

7. Industrial Waste#

a.#

All uses are prohibited from discharging liquid, solid, toxic, or hazardous wastes onto or into the ground and into streams, lakes, or rivers.§ Discharge into a public or private waste disposal system in compliance with applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations is permitted.

b.#

Wastes detrimental to a public sewer system or a sewage treatment plant shall not be discharged to a public sewer system unless they have been pretreated to the degree required by the authority having jurisdiction over the sewerage system.

c.#

The handling and storage of hazardous materials, the discharge of hazardous materials into the air and water, and the disposal of hazardous waste in connection with all uses shall be in conformance with all applicable local, state, and federal regulations.

d.#

All burning of waste materials accessory to any use shall comply with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District rules and regulations.

e.#

The disposal or dumping of solid wastes accessory to any use, including, but not limited to, slag, paper, and fiber wastes or other industrial wastes, shall be in compliance with applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

8. Exterior Lighting#

Direct light shall not extend beyond a property line into a lot occupied by a single-family home. Lighting shall not create a source of glare visible from a neighboring single-family home.§ The minimum illumination level for area intended shall be one (1) foot candle.§

9. Electromagnetic Interference#

Devices which generate electromagnetic interference shall not cause interference with any activity outside the property upon which the device is located.§ Public utilities shall comply with all applicable state and federal regulations.

10. Fire and Explosive Hazards#

All uses involving the use or storage of combustible, explosive, caustic, or otherwise hazardous materials shall comply with all applicable local, state, and federal safety standards and shall be provided with adequate safety devices against the hazard of fire and explosion, and adequate fire-fighting and fire suppression equipment in accordance with the requirements of the fire marshal.

(Ord. No. 2465, § 2(Exhs. A., B.), 9-19-2016)