Snohomish County, WA Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Zone
- Agriculture-10 Acre (A-10)
- Purpose
- Protect and continue established farming
- Accessory retail
- Must sell mostly on-site-produced goods
- Governing code
- SCC 30.21.025(3)(c)
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county land only
Summary
Unincorporated Snohomish County protects working farmland through the Agriculture-10 Acre (A-10) zone, which limits development to agricultural uses and farm-support businesses under SCC 30.21.025(3)(c). The zone exists specifically to keep farming the dominant use on designated agricultural land.
(c) Agriculture-10 Acre (A-10). The intent and function of the Agricultural-10 Acre zone is: (i) To implement the goals and objectives of the County GMA Comprehensive Plan which include the goals of protecting agricultural lands and promoting agriculture as a component of the County economy; (ii) To protect and promote the continuation of farming in areas where it is already established and in locations where farming has traditionally been a viable component of the local economy; and (iii) To permit in agricultural lands, with limited exceptions, only agricultural land uses and activities and farm-related uses that provide a support infrastructure for farming, or that support, promote or sustain agricultural operations and production including compatible accessory commercial or retail uses on designated agricultural lands.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through legislation passed August 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
025(3)(c) sets the intent and function of the A-10 zone as implementing the county's Growth Management Act Comprehensive Plan goals of protecting agricultural lands and promoting agriculture as part of the county economy. The zone is built to protect and continue farming where it is already established and where it has traditionally supported the local economy. With limited exceptions, A-10 land is restricted to agricultural land uses, farm-related support infrastructure, and accessory commercial or retail activity tied to on-site production, such as storage and refrigeration of regional agricultural products, value-added product sales, and supplemental on-farm income sources.
Allowed accessory commercial or retail uses must sell a significant amount of products actually produced on-site and cannot convert the parcel to non-agricultural use. The Department of Planning and Development reviews site plans for A-10 parcels to confirm any accessory use is compatible with resource land service standards and does not interfere with normal agricultural practices. 037 (farmland enterprises), before pulling a building or use permit. Because A-10 is a resource zone rather than a general rural residential zone, minimum lot sizes and permitted use lists differ sharply from the county's RD, R-5, or SA-1 zones, and land divided under this designation cannot be split below the size needed to keep it viable for farming.
Violations & Fines
Development or a change of use that does not meet the A-10 zone's permitted-use list or performance standards requires the county to deny or condition the permit; unpermitted commercial buildout on A-10 land can be pursued as a code enforcement case under the county's general zoning enforcement authority, with correction orders and civil penalties for continued noncompliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the A-10 zone in Snohomish County?
Can I open a retail shop on A-10 land?
Does A-10 zoning apply inside Everett or Marysville?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Snohomish County
Compare Snohomish County to another location·View the Washington right to farm overview
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