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Bill

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Measure

AB 93

Authors

Papan

Subject

Water resources: data centers.

Relating To

relating to water.

Title

An act to add Sections 16000.4 and 16100.4 to the Business and Professions Code, and to add Section 10609.35 to the Water Code, relating to water.

Last Action Dt

2025-09-15

State

Enrolled

Status

Vetoed

Active?

Vote Required

Majority

Appropriation

Fiscal Committee

Yes

Local Program

Yes

Substantive Changes

None

Urgency

Tax Levy

Leginfo Link

Bill

Actions

2025-10-11		Vetoed by Governor.
2025-10-11		Consideration of Governor's veto pending.
2025-09-23		Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
2025-09-11		Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 59. Noes 16. Page 3288.).
2025-09-10		Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 30. Noes 10. Page 2811.).
2025-09-10		In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-09-08		Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-05		Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2025-09-02		Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-08-29		From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (August 29).
2025-08-29		Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.
2025-08-18		In committee: Referred to suspense file.
2025-07-17		Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-07-16		From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (July 16).
2025-07-09		From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.
2025-06-24		From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (June 24). Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.
2025-06-11		Referred to Coms. on N.R. & W. and L. GOV.
2025-05-29		In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
2025-05-29		Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 51. Noes 14. Page 1780.)
2025-05-27		Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-05-23		From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 2.) (May 23).
2025-05-14		In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.
2025-05-06		Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-05-05		Read second time and amended.
2025-05-01		From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 1.) (April 30).
2025-04-21		Re-referred to Com. on L. GOV.
2025-04-10		Read second time and amended.
2025-04-09		From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on L. GOV. (Ayes 10. Noes 1.) (April 8).
2025-03-25		Re-referred to Com. on W. P., & W.
2025-03-24		Referred to Coms. on W. P., & W. and L. GOV.
2025-03-24		From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on W. P., & W. Read second time and amended.
2025-01-08		From printer. May be heard in committee February 7.
2025-01-07		Read first time. To print.

Keywords

Tags

Versions

Enrolled		2025-09-15
Amended Senate		2025-09-05
Amended Senate		2025-08-29
Amended Senate		2025-07-17
Amended Senate		2025-07-09
Amended Assembly		2025-05-05
Amended Assembly		2025-04-10
Amended Assembly		2025-03-24
Introduced		2025-01-07

Last Version Text

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		<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Papan</ns0:AuthorText>
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		<ns0:Title>An act to add Sections 16000.4 and 16100.4 to the Business and Professions Code, and to add Section 10609.35 to the Water Code, relating to water. </ns0:Title>
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			<ns0:Subject>Water resources: data centers.</ns0:Subject>
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			 instrument, or permit, the bill would require a person who owns or operates a data center to self-certify, under penalty of perjury, on the application, that they have provided the data center’s water supplier with a report of the annual water use. By expanding the crime of perjury, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize the
			 Department of Water Resources, as part of any efficiency standard adopted under a specified provision of law, to identify different tiers of data centers, based on factors affecting water consumption, and appropriate standards for each data tier. The bill would define terms for purposes of these provisions.</html:p>
			<html:p>The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.</html:p>
			<html:p>The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.</html:p>
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					(a)
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					It is the intent of the Legislature that data centers are considered commercial, industrial, and institutional users under the state’s “Making Conservation a California Way of Life” regulation (Article 1 (commencing with Section 965) of Chapter 3.5 of Division 3 of Title 23 of the California Code of Regulations), consistent with the urban water use objectives under Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 10609) of Part 2.55 of Division 6 of the Water Code.
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					The Legislature finds and declares that the growth of data center operations has created increasing demand for water and energy resources, which may have implications for statewide sustainability goals. The Department of Water Resources possesses the technical expertise, planning capacity, and regulatory experience necessary to evaluate and develop efficiency standards that balance operational reliability with resource conservation.
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					It is the intent of the Legislature to encourage the department to examine, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, potential efficiency measures for data centers that align with California’s environmental, economic, and infrastructure objectives. The Legislature further finds that such exploration should include consideration of water use efficiency, energy demand management, and the
				integration of emerging technologies, while respecting the operational requirements and economic realities of the sector.
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								(a)
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								For purposes of this section, “data center” means a room, or portion of a room, in a building used primarily to house information technology equipment that serves a total information technology equipment load greater than 10 kilowatts and 20 watts per square foot of conditioned floor area.
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								(b)
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								For purposes of this section, “water supplier” means either of the following:
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								(1)
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								“Urban water supplier,” as defined by Section 10617 of the Water Code.
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								(2)
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								“Community water system,” as
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								(c)
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								(1)
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								Prior to applying to a city for an initial business license, equivalent instrument, or permit, a person who owns or operates a data center shall provide its water supplier, under penalty of perjury, an estimate of the expected water use.
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								(2)
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								When applying to a city for an initial business license, equivalent instrument, or permit, a person who owns or operates a data center shall self-certify, under penalty of perjury, on the application, that they have provided its water supplier an estimate of the expected water use. 
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								(3)
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								When applying to a city for a renewal of a business license, equivalent instrument, or permit, a person who owns or
						operates a data center shall self-certify, under penalty of perjury, on the renewal application, that they have provided the data center’s water supplier with a report of annual water use.
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				Section 16100.4 is added to the 
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								(a)
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								For purposes of this section, “data center” means a room, or portion of a room, in a building used primarily to house information technology equipment that serves a total information technology equipment load greater than 10 kilowatts and 20 watts per square foot of conditioned floor area.
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								(b)
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								For purposes of this section, “water supplier” means either of the following:
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								(1)
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								“Urban water supplier,” as defined by Section 10617 of the Water Code.
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								(2)
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								“Community water system,” as defined by Section 116275 of the Health and
						Safety Code.
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								(c)
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								(1)
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								Prior to applying to a county for an initial business license, equivalent instrument, or permit, a person who owns or operates a data center shall provide its water supplier, under penalty of perjury, an estimate of the expected water use.
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								(2)
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								When applying to a county for an initial business license, equivalent instrument, or permit, a person who owns or operates a data center shall self-certify, under penalty of perjury, on the application, that they have provided its water supplier an estimate of the expected water use.
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								(3)
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								When applying to a county for a renewal of a business license, equivalent instrument, or permit, a person who owns or operates a data center shall
						self-certify, under penalty of perjury, on the renewal application, that they have provided the data center’s water supplier with a report of annual water use.
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				Section 10609.35 is added to the 
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							<html:p>As part of adopting any efficiency standard pursuant to this chapter, the department may identify different tiers of data centers, as defined in Sections 16000.4 and 16100.4 of the Business and Professions Code, based on factors affecting water consumption, and appropriate standards for each data center tier.</html:p>
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				<html:p>The Legislature finds and declares that water conservation is a matter of statewide concern and is not a municipal affair as that term is used in Section 5 of Article XI of the California Constitution. Therefore, Sections 2 and 3 of this act adding Sections 16000.4 and 16100.4 to the Business and Professions Code apply to all cities, including charter cities.</html:p>
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					No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII
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					B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII
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					B of the California
				Constitution.
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Last Version Text Digest

Existing law authorizes the legislative body of an incorporated city and the county board of supervisors to license businesses carried on within their respective jurisdictions and to set license fees, as specified. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.