Racine County, WI Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- District
- A-1 farmland preservation
- Purpose
- limit non-farm encroachment
- Adopted by
- Ord. No. 2014-87
- Ties to
- WI farmland tax credits
- Nonconforming uses
- cannot expand or modify
Summary
Racine County's A-1 farmland preservation district limits non-agricultural encroachment and land-use conflicts, protecting land reserved for food and fiber production under Chapter 20 zoning.
The intent of this district is to maintain highly productive agricultural lands in food and fiber production by effectively limiting encroachment on non-agricultural development and minimizing land use conflicts among incompatible uses.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 33).
Full Breakdown
The A-1 farmland preservation district exists to keep the county's most productive farmland in food and fiber production by limiting encroachment from non-agricultural development and land-use conflicts. It permits dairying, grazing, livestock raising, orchards, truck farming, and similar operations by right, plus a single farm residence, while treating non-farm residences and most other uses as conditional. Prior nonconforming uses may not be expanded or modified once the district is adopted, and existing residence counts can limit new conditional-use permits. Enrollment ties into Wisconsin's farmland preservation tax-credit program under Wis. Stat. ch. 91.
Violations & Fines
Expanding or modifying a prior nonconforming use, or adding non-farm residences beyond what a conditional-use permit allows, violates the A-1 district and is enforceable by the zoning administrator under Sec. 20-658(3) and W.S.A. § 59.69(10).
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Racine County's A-1 district protect?
Can I expand a use that doesn't conform to the A-1 district?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Racine County
Compare Racine County to another location·View the Wisconsin right to farm overview
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