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

1 Exclusive Agriculture district described in Sec. 3-37-2. ' Permitted by-right uses include agriculture itself, apiaries, greenhouses, caretaker's quarters, packing plants for agricultural products, private stables, and manufactured structures for up to two years; conditional uses requiring Planning Commission approval include commercial dairies (prohibited in Planning Area 5), kennels, public stables, and manufactured structures kept beyond two years. The district carries a 50-acre minimum site size, a maximum site coverage of only 10 percent, and a 35-foot building height cap, protecting the district's low-intensity character.

Building setbacks are steep for a zoning district: 50 feet from freeways and major highways, 42 feet from primary highways, 35 feet from secondary highways in nonresidential areas (25 feet in residential areas), 15 feet from commuter highways and local streets, and interior setbacks of 35 feet on the side and 20 feet on the rear where adjacent to residential uses. Any use not listed requires the Planning Commission to find it 'consistent with the purpose and intent of this District' and compatible with surrounding land uses, meaning residential or commercial encroachment onto Exclusive Agriculture land cannot happen without a discretionary rezoning first.