Josephine County, OR Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

The Rural Land Development Code (Title 19) establishes 13 basic land-use zones for the unincorporated county under § 19.60.020, and two are dedicated to farmland: Exclusive Farm (EF) and Farm Resource (FR), alongside Rural Residential (RR-1, RR-2.5, RR-5), Rural Commercial, Rural Industrial, Forest Commercial, Woodlot Resource, Aggregate Resource, Mineral and Aggregate Resource, Serpentine and Limited Development. Every parcel carries one of these designations on the county's official zoning map, and § 19.60.040 confirms the uses and requirements for each zone apply to all land mapped into it, with permits issued under Chapter 19.41 JCC.

Chapter 19.64 JCC sets the substantive rules for the EF and FR zones: § 19.64.010 states the purpose is to preserve agricultural land most appropriate for farm use, implementing the uses authorized by ORS Chapter 215 and complying with Statewide Planning Goal 3 for farmland. Outright uses that need no permit at all on EF/FR land include agriculture, farming and farm use, forest product propagation and harvesting, wetland creation or restoration, and reconstruction of public roads (§ 19.64.020), while destination resorts, commercial activities tied to farm use, and other higher-impact uses go through quasi-judicial conditional-use review under § 19.64.040 and Chapter 19.45 JCC.

When a lot straddles the EF/FR boundary and another zone, § 19.60.050 confines each use to the portion of the parcel where that zone allows it and requires any split to meet farm-zone minimum parcel sizes. Landowners should confirm their zone on the county GIS map or with Planning before applying for a permit under Chapter 19.41 JCC.