Arvada, CO Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

Section 2-1-3-2 of the Arvada Land Development Code creates the RA Residential/Agricultural zoning district specifically "to provide for 'semi-rural' (rural, countryside, or estate) character, in the form of large-lot single-family residential neighborhoods; and agriculture, urban agriculture, greenhouses, stables, or other equestrian uses." The district implements the Comprehensive Plan's "Low Density Residential" land use category, and the Code's lot and building standards for RA parcels are set out separately in Table 2-1-3-2A.

The RA district is the only zone, along with the RN-32.5 subdistrict, where barns, loafing sheds and stables are allowed as accessory buildings under Section 5-1-5-3. RA landowners also receive the most generous accessory-building allowance in the city: Table 5-1-5-3A permits up to six accessory buildings on RA lots under five acres and up to seven on RA lots of five acres or larger, compared to as few as two on the smallest RN-4 residential lots. Structures tied to Community Agriculture, Stables, or Riding Academies uses are exempt from the citywide two-mini-structure cap in Table 5-1-4-3.

Because the RA designation is a zoning district rather than a nuisance-immunity statute, it does not itself shield agricultural operations from claims the way a state right-to-farm law would; it functions as the zoning mechanism that keeps large-lot land available for agricultural, greenhouse and equestrian use inside city limits. Rezoning out of RA, or building beyond what Table 2-1-3-2A and Section 5-1-5-3 allow, requires City Council approval or a building permit reviewed by the Planning Division.