Kings County, CA Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Citation
- Kings County Code § 14-38
- Applies to
- unincorporated Agricultural-zoned land
- Protection
- lawful farm ops are not a nuisance
- Disclosure required
- on rezonings, land divisions, permits, transfers
- Public notice
- published twice yearly, March & September
Summary
Kings County's Right to Farm ordinance shields lawful, established agricultural operations in the county's Agricultural districts from nuisance lawsuits filed by newcomers who move in next to farms, dairies, or feedlots and then complain about ordinary noise, dust, or odor.
No lawfully established and otherwise lawful agricultural activity, operation, or facility, or appurtenances thereto, conducted or maintained for commercial agricultural purposes in a manner consistent with proper and accepted customs and standards as established and followed by similar agricultural operations in the same locality, shall be or become a nuisance, private or public, due to any changed condition in or about the locality, including, but not limited to, the encroachment of non-agricultural uses such as rural residences.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13).
Full Breakdown
Section 14-38 of the Kings County Code declares agricultural operations the favored land use in the county's General Plan Agricultural areas and protects lawful, customary farming, including dairy odor, equipment noise, and 24/7 field work, from being ruled a nuisance because of encroaching non-agricultural development. Land divisions, rezonings, and building permits in unincorporated Kings County must include a recorded disclosure warning new owners about nearby farming, and the county publishes the policy twice yearly.
Violations & Fines
Failing to sign and record the required agricultural-disclosure statement on a property transfer is an infraction under § 1-8.1, though the missing paperwork won't block the deed from recording.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sue a Kings County farm for noise or odor if I just moved in nearby?
Does buying land near Kings County farmland come with any required disclosures?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kings County
California rules heatmap·Compare Kings County to another location·View the California right to farm overview
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