Jefferson County, MO Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

1470 of the Jefferson County Unified Development Ordinance establishes the "RA-5" Rural/Agricultural District for land outside incorporated cities like Arnold, Festus and De Soto. The stated purpose is to provide areas for agricultural uses and very-low-density residential development while minimizing premature development of land, reducing the impact of urban growth on rural areas located outside a sanitary sewer service area, conserving rural character and cutting the cost of delivering urban services. Density in the RA-5 District is capped at one residential unit per five acres, among the lowest density allowances in the county's zoning code, which directly shields working farmland from being carved into small suburban lots.

) exempted from the general rural and rural-cluster performance and design standards, recognizing that agricultural operations need different site treatment than residential subdivisions. 1830), separate from dwelling structures. 28) residential units per acre when a development uses the conservation design track under Article VII. Because Missouri counties can only zone the unincorporated area, RA-5 protections apply only to farmland outside Arnold, Festus, De Soto, Hillsboro and the county's other incorporated cities, which each set their own zoning. Rezoning out of RA-5 to a non-planned district requires a complete application to the Planning Division and a public hearing before the Planning Commission under Article XVI's rezoning procedures.