Farmersville, TX Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

Under Section 77-43, all land newly annexed into the city limits is temporarily classified in the A, Agricultural District until the city council assigns permanent zoning, following the same procedure used to adopt the original zoning ordinance. Section 77-52(a) explains the district is 'primarily intended to accommodate agricultural uses, such as the keeping of livestock, dairy farming, pasturage and horticulture,' with a minimum two-acre lot size, 40-foot front yard, 20 percent maximum lot coverage and a two-story, 40-foot height cap. The schedule of permitted uses at Section 77-46(e) marks 'Farm, ranch, garden, or orchard' with a 'P' for by-right use in fourteen of the city's sixteen zoning districts, from Agricultural and every residential district through Light Industrial; only the Heavy Industrial-2 and Central Area districts prohibit it.

Section 77-29 defines a farm, ranch, garden or orchard as an area of five acres or more used for growing farm products and raising farm poultry and animals, including accessory buildings for treating and storing what is raised on-site. Separately, Section 11-231(g) of the animal nuisance code exempts locations in continuous agricultural operation since June 10, 1985 from the acreage, 150-foot distance and no-commercial-purpose restrictions that otherwise apply to keeping livestock in the city, a grandfather clause tied directly to farm longevity.