Cupertino, CA Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Agricultural zones
- Agricultural (A) and Agricultural-Residential (A-1)
- Minimum lot size
- 215,000 sq ft (examples run to 400,000 sq ft)
- Incidental residential use
- 43,000 sq ft per dwelling unit
- Lot coverage cap
- 40% of net lot area
- A-1 floor area ratio
- 45%
- Governing chapter
- Municipal Code Chapter 19.24
Summary
Cupertino maintains two agricultural zoning districts, Agricultural (A) and Agricultural-Residential (A-1), under Chapter 19.24 specifically to preserve farming and forestry uses, with minimum lot sizes as large as 400,000 square feet. Permitted uses on that land include field and truck crops, orchards, tree farms, livestock ranches and apiaries, keeping working farmland viable within city limits.
Agricultural (A) zones are intended to preserve agriculture or forestry activities in areas suited to that purpose, and to include therein incidental residential development of a rural character. Agricultural-residential (A-1) zones are intended to preserve agriculture or forestry activities in areas suited to that purpose, and to include therein residential development of a semi-rural character.
Full Breakdown
24 states that Agricultural (A) zones are intended to preserve agriculture or forestry activities in areas suited to that purpose, and to include therein incidental residential development of a rural character, while Agricultural-Residential (A-1) zones serve the same preservation purpose but allow residential development of a semi-rural character. 040 sets minimum lot sizes keyed to the zoning symbol: a parcel is sized by multiplying the number following the A or A-1 symbol by one thousand square feet, and Cupertino's code lists examples running from 43,000 up to 400,000 square feet.
Every A and A-1 lot must otherwise measure at least 215,000 square feet, or 43,000 square feet per dwelling unit for incidental residential use, and must be shaped so a two-hundred-foot square can be inscribed within it. 07. 050 further caps building development on A and A-1 land at 40% lot coverage, with a 45% floor area ratio allowed only in the A-1 zone.
Violations & Fines
Developing an A or A-1 parcel below its required minimum lot area, or exceeding the 40% lot coverage cap in Table 19.24.050 without approval, is a zoning violation the Community Development Department can act on. A Code Enforcement Officer under Chapter 2.30 may issue an administrative citation under Chapter 1.10, and Section 1.12.010 treats an unresolved violation as an infraction starting at $100 and rising to $500, or a misdemeanor carrying up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum lot size in Cupertino's agricultural zone?
Can I build a house on agriculturally zoned land in Cupertino?
What farming uses are allowed on Cupertino's agricultural land?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cupertino
California rules heatmap·Compare Cupertino to another location·View the California right to farm overview
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Agricultural Zoning Protection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle agricultural zoning protection.