Clovis, CA Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger distance
- Within 300 feet of ag-zoned land
- Condition
- Recorded before final map approval
- Recorded with
- Fresno County Recorder
- Binding effect
- Runs with land, binds future owners
- Legal basis
- Cal. Civil Code Section 3482.5
Summary
Any Clovis subdivision within 300 feet of agriculturally zoned land cannot get final map approval until the owner records a right-to-farm covenant with the Fresno County Recorder, per Municipal Code Section 9.40.170(B). The covenant warns future residents that farm noise, dust, and odor are normal and protected.
B. Covenant. If a subdivision is at any point within three hundred feet (300') of land zoned for agricultural uses, the approval of the tentative and final subdivision map or parcel map shall be conditional upon the recordation with the County Recorder of a right-to-farm covenant acknowledging, accepting and complying with this section... that the described property is in or near agricultural districts and that the residents of the property should be prepared to accept the inconveniences and discomfort associated with normal farm activities. This covenant shall run with the land and be binding upon all future owners, heirs, successors, and assigns to the property.
Full Breakdown
170(B) ties subdivision approval directly to proximity to agricultural zoning. If any point of a proposed subdivision sits within three hundred feet of land zoned for agricultural use, the City conditions approval of both the tentative and final subdivision map, or parcel map, on recordation of a right-to-farm covenant with the County Recorder. 5's protection for agricultural operations conducted in a manner consistent with accepted local customs and standards. The recorded language explicitly tells future owners that the property is in or near agricultural districts and that residents should be prepared to accept the inconveniences and discomfort associated with normal farm activities.
Critically, the covenant runs with the land: it binds all future owners, heirs, successors, and assigns, not just the original subdivider. This mechanism works alongside the City's broader right-to-farm policy in subsection (A) of the same section, which shields qualifying commercial agricultural operations from nuisance claims after three years of operation. Together, the two subsections give Clovis a zoning-proximity trigger (the covenant requirement) plus a substantive nuisance defense for the farms themselves.
Violations & Fines
A subdivider who fails to record the required right-to-farm covenant before recordation cannot obtain final map approval from the City; the Community Development Department will not clear the map for recordation with the County Recorder until the covenant is on file. Because the covenant runs with the land, any later attempt to omit or strip it from title does not relieve subsequent owners of the disclosed risk of nearby farm operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does a Clovis subdivider have to record a right-to-farm covenant?
Does the right-to-farm covenant apply only to the original property owner?
What does the covenant tell homebuyers near agricultural zoning?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clovis
California rules heatmap·Compare Clovis to another location·View the California right to farm overview
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