Purpose
Urban agriculture is the raising of crops and animals in the urban environment to increase access to healthy foods in areas where access to fresh food is limited, to support healthy living, to foster community connectivity, to provide economic opportunities on vacant and underutilized land, and to increase educational opportunities related to growing food.
The benefits of urban agriculture are widely recognized, and jurisdictions across the nation have implemented ordinances to allow for a broad array of agricultural activities to occur within the urban environment, including crop cultivation, animal and bee keeping, and sales of goods grown or produced.
The Sacramento County Urban Agriculture Ordinance will provide benefits to communities within Sacramento County by reducing the regulatory burden on urban agriculture.
Primary Components of the Urban Agriculture Ordinance
The major components of the ordinance:
- Permit market gardens on vacant parcels to allow for the growing of crops for personal use and sale.
- Allow urban agricultural stands at the site of private, community and market gardens in order to allow for the sale of crops and goods produced on site to be sold to the public.
- Allow for the keeping of egg laying chickens and ducks as well as bees in a wider array of zones as incidental uses.
- Allow for the keeping of larger animals (greater than 75 pounds) as an incidental use on lots less than 20,000 square feet when associated with an educational program.
- Allow for the keeping of hogs as an incidental use on lots greater than two acres, when associated with an educational program
Urban Agriculture Zoning Code Amendments
The link below will direct you to the Sacramento County Zoning Code, where you will find the urban agriculture standards.
Permitting Requirements
A Temporary Use Permit is required to operate an urban agricultural stand at the site of a of private, community and market gardens. A Minor Use Permit is required to keep animals over 75 pounds on lots less than 20,000 square feet and hogs on lots greater than two acres as an incidental use when associated with an educational program. Click below for links to the application forms required.
Cottage Foods
Cottage foods, foods prepared and packaged in private homes, are allowed to be sold at permitted urban agricultural stands when goods are processed and sold consistent with a valid cottage food permit and limited to the items included in the approved cottage foods list maintained by the California Department of Public health. Click below for additional information related to cottage foods.
