Gilroy, CA Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

The Gilroy City Council created the A1 Agriculture District under City Code § 30.4.10 to preserve land for agricultural activity within city limits until it urbanizes under the general plan. The code states the district's lands 'are expected to be urbanized ultimately in accordance with the general plan,' but 'in the interim, these lands provide areas for agricultural activities,' and the minimum lot size is 'intended to preserve lots in sizes suitable for agricultural use and potential urban development.' Permitted and conditional uses in the A1 district are set by the residential use table at § 30.11.10(c); anything beyond an outright permitted use needs a conditional use permit issued by the Gilroy Planning Commission under § 30.50.30.

Lot, yard, and height standards for A1 parcels come from the residential site and building requirement table at § 30.11.20(c), which sets a twenty-acre minimum lot size for A1 land, one of the largest minimums in the zoning code. Density is capped at one dwelling unit per lot, and the code specifies this is meant to produce 'an average density of less than one (1) unit per twenty (20) acres,' among the lowest residential densities the city allows. The A1 designation is also the fallback zone: under § 30.3.50(a), any land not otherwise mapped into a zoning district defaults to A1.

Community Development staff in Gilroy administer permit applications for the district, and Santa Clara County agencies handle any adjoining unincorporated agricultural parcels outside city limits.