Cocoa, FL Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

Appendix A, Article XI, Section 1A of the Cocoa Code of Ordinances creates the RA, Residential Agricultural District, describing it as land intended for agricultural pursuits alongside single-family residential development of a spacious character, with large lot sizes meant to protect farming uses while still allowing limited, rural-character housing. The district's principal uses list one single-family dwelling per lot, agricultural pursuits including the packing, processing and sale of commodities raised or grown on the premises, plant nurseries and greenhouses, and animal raising and grazing, so a property owner does not need a separate agricultural permit to keep livestock or run a small farm operation if the parcel carries the RA designation.

Accessory structures such as a garage, carport, patio, pool or toolhouse are allowed alongside the farm use. Special exceptions in the district include playgrounds, parks and golf courses, sewer lift stations, churches and associated buildings, and security mobile homes on public property, all of which need board of adjustment approval before they can locate on an RA parcel. 5-acre (108,900-square-foot) minimum lot, 150-foot minimum width and 200-foot minimum depth, far larger than the standard RE or RU single-family lots elsewhere in the city, and yard setbacks of fifty feet in front, fifteen feet on an interior side, twenty-five feet on a corner side, and twenty-five feet at the rear.