Greeley, CO Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Ag holding district
- H-A Holding-Agriculture
- Farming allowed by-right
- 10 of 14 zoning districts
- Code currency
- Through Ord. 16, 2026 (Supp. 6)
- Right-to-farm nuisance statute
- None in city code
Summary
Greeley's Holding-Agriculture (H-A) zoning district preserves annexed land for agriculture, and the Development Code's use table lists Farming as a permitted, by-right use across ten of the city's fourteen zoning districts, not just H-A.
H-A — Holding-Agriculture. The H-A district is intended for properties which have been annexed to the city and are either being used for agricultural purposes or have little or no immediate development potential. Due to the development patterns and inefficiency of providing city services, this area receives only limited infrastructure investment and is therefore used as a "pre-development" district to either preserve open and rural lands and agriculture uses, or hold areas until more coordinated planning for infrastructure, land uses, and design can occur. Limited application as a pre-development area or for agriculture uses in rural neighborhoods. R-E — Residential Estate. The R-E district is intended for very low density residential living with detached houses on larger lots or in rural patterns. The district permits limited institutional uses and less intense rural uses that are compatible with low density living. Due to the dispersed development intensity, this area receives lower levels of infrastructure and public service, and should have limited application unless mixed with an overall pattern of housing options. General application in suburban neighborhoods.
Limited application in other neighborhoods for large lot options on the edges of walkable patterns; or in rural neighborhoods as part of conservation and open space patterns.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 6 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 24-401 designates the H-A district for land recently annexed to Greeley that is still farmed or has little near-term development potential, holding it as a 'pre-development' area to preserve agriculture and rural land until infrastructure catches up. Beyond H-A, Table 24-4-2 in Sec. 24-402 lists Farming as a permitted (P) use by right in the R-E, R-L, R-M, R-H, C-L, C-H, I-L, I-M, I-H and C-D districts too, so most of Greeley's zoning map allows crop and livestock production without a special-review hearing. The code, current through Ord. 16, 2026, has no separate nuisance-immunity 'right-to-farm' statute: the protection here is zoning-based, not a suit-immunity law.
Violations & Fines
None for by-right farming itself; converting H-A or other agricultural land to a nonfarm use, or a use not listed in Table 24-4-2, requires the standard site plan, special-review, or rezoning process under Sec. 24-206 or 24-204.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Greeley have a right-to-farm ordinance?
Where can I farm inside Greeley city limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Greeley
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