About Zoning and Right to Farm
Links
- Sonoma County General Plan (current)
- Sonoma County General Plan 2020 Update
- Sonoma County Right to Farm Ordinance
- Sonoma County Zoning Code Definitions
Zoning
Agriculture Zones
The existing ;General Plan land use plan includes three agricultural land use categories:
- Land Intensive Agriculture (LIA) 74,255 acres or 7.7%
- Land Extensive Agriculture (LEA) 186,462 acres or 19.3%
- Diverse Agriculture (DA) 68,845 acres or 7.1%
Total acreage designated as agricultural land use is 326,562 acres or 34.1% of the total acreage in Sonoma County. General Plan
1,595 of these parcels are over 10 acres. Staff Report File#ORD18-0003, June 7, 2018, page 10
Designation of parcels was based on multiple considerations, including the parcel size, lack of infrastructure, distance from public services, access, conflicts with resource conservation and production, and topographic and environmental features.
“Right to Farm” applies to Agriculture zones only.
Resources and Rural Development zone
The land use designation RRD stands for Resources and Rural Development. RRD designation is used to protect the county’s natural resource lands and allows for only very low-density residential development. Resources to be protected include commercial timber land, lands within the Known Geothermal Resource Area (KGRA), lands identified in the County’s Aggregate Resources Management Plan and natural resource lands including watershed, fish and wildlife habitat and other biotic areas. (General Plan)
Development in RRD results in two primary environmental consequences: habitat loss and fragmentation and the degradation of water resources and water quality. RRD lands account for 51% of the total acreage in Sonoma County and contain 492,658 acres much of which is heavily forested and mountainous. (General Plan).
RRD is not a "right to farm" zone.
Rural Residential and Ag Residential Zones
- AR Agriculture and Residential
- RR Rural Residential