Eagan, MN Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

City Code Sec. 11.60, Subd. 3 establishes the Agricultural (A) District with the stated purpose of accommodating agricultural uses and related activities and serving as a holding area for future development. Agriculture is listed first among permitted uses, meaning farming operations need no conditional use permit or variance to operate on A-zoned land, alongside single-family detached dwellings, public parks and utility facilities, and roadside stands selling products raised on the premises. A longer list of farm-adjacent activities requires a council-issued conditional use permit instead: boarding stables, riding stables, sales barns, gun clubs, auction facilities, commercial feedlots as regulated by state statute, and kennels under Chapter 6.

Permitted accessory uses include gardening and horticulture, in-home daycare subject to state licensing, and keeping of household domestic animals. The district's bulk standards require a minimum lot area of five acres and a minimum lot width of 300 feet, far larger than any residential district in the city, reflecting the district's farming and future-holding function. Separately, Sec. 11.40, Subd. 5(D) exempts buildings and structures accessory to farming operations from the general accessory-building rules, requiring only that a building housing more than two animal units sit at least 50 feet from a lot line. The Community Development Department administers rezoning out of the A District through the standard public-hearing process in Sec. 11.50, Subd. 5.