Charlotte County, FL Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

Section 3-9-30(a) states the county's intent for the Agriculture (AG) district plainly: to allow agriculture, very-low-density residential, rural recreation and other rural uses, while acknowledging that farming is frequently associated with noise, odors, dust and aerial chemical spraying that is incompatible with urban-style living, and that residential use in the district is permitted only at very low densities for people who understand and desire to live in an agricultural environment. Permitted uses under Section 3-9-30(b) include dairy, grain, fruit, field crop and vegetable production, horse stables, livestock breeding and grazing, plant nurseries, poultry raising, fish hatcheries, and a single-family home that may include an attached guest suite.

The Section 3-9-30(g) development standards table requires a minimum lot of 10 acres with 250 feet of width, sets front, side and rear setbacks at 40, 20 and 20 feet, caps lot coverage of all buildings at 10 percent, rising to 80 percent for hydroculture-type structures other than warehouses, limits building height to 38 feet, and allows density of just one dwelling unit per 10 acres. Conditional uses that need extra Section 3-9-69 standards include farm labor housing, a guest home, and manufactured homes rated for Wind Zone 3, while special exceptions requiring Board of Zoning Appeals approval cover animal and poultry slaughter, concentrated animal feeding operations, and agricultural industrial activities such as leather tanning.