Los Angeles, CA Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- LAMC § 12.06 ("A2" Agricultural Zone)
- Minimum lot for livestock
- 17,500 square feet
- Equine/bovine density cap
- 1 per 4,000 square feet of lot
- Swine
- Not permitted in A2, unlike A1
- Commercial boarding cap
- 2 licensed equines for pay
- Prior-approval trigger
- Public/open-space-mapped lots need § 12.24.1 review
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine / 6 months jail (§ 11.00(m))
Summary
Los Angeles's "A2" Agricultural Zone lets landowners farm, run nurseries, and keep aviaries and apiaries as a matter of right under LAMC § 12.06, without a conditional use permit. The zone carries forward every use allowed in the adjoining "A1" Agriculture Zone plus one-family homes, golf courses, and licensed livestock keeping on qualifying lots.
The following regulations apply in the “A2” Agricultural Zone: ... A. Use. ... 1. Any use permitted in the “A1” Zone, provided that all such uses ... shall conform to all the regulations of said Zone. 2. Any of the following uses, which need conform only to the regulations of this section: ... (f) Farming, nurseries, aviaries, and apiaries. ... (g) The keeping of equines, bovines, goats or other domestic livestock (other than swine), poultry, fowl, rabbits, fish or frogs, chinchillas and other small animals, in conjunction with the residential use of the lot provided: (1) That these activities are not for commercial purposes ... (2) The keeping of equines, bovines, goats or other domestic livestock (other than swine) shall be permitted only on lots having an area of 17,500 square feet or more. Where equines and/or bovines are being kept, the number kept shall not exceed one equine or bovine for each 4,000 square feet of lot area.
Full Breakdown
2 then lists uses that need only meet this section's own standards: one-family dwellings, government-owned parks and playgrounds, non-commercial golf courses, and "farming, nurseries, aviaries, and apiaries" outright. Subsection (g) covers livestock in conjunction with a residential use, equines, bovines, goats, other domestic livestock (swine excluded, unlike the A1 zone), poultry, fowl, rabbits, fish, frogs, chinchillas, and other small animals, but only where the activity isn't commercial, except that up to two currently licensed equines not owned by the resident may be boarded for pay, and chickens, rabbits, or chinchillas may be raised commercially on lots of five acres or more.
Subsection (g)(2) sets the density floor: livestock keeping (other than swine, which A2 bars entirely) requires a lot of at least 17,500 square feet, with no more than one equine or bovine per 4,000 square feet of lot area. 16 conditions. 1 before any A2 use can proceed.
Violations & Fines
Operating a use in the A2 Zone beyond what § 12.06 allows, running a commercial livestock operation on an under-sized lot, or building an accessory structure that ignores the § 12.06 A.2(h) limits, is enforced by the Department of Building and Safety as a zoning violation. Like any LAMC violation it is a misdemeanor under § 11.00(m): up to a $1,000 fine, six months in County Jail, or both, with a continuing civil penalty of up to $2,500 per day until corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I build or farm on A2-zoned land without a conditional use permit?
Can I keep swine on A2 land?
How big does my lot need to be to keep a horse in an A2 zone?
Does every A2 lot automatically qualify for these uses?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Los Angeles
California rules heatmap·Compare Los Angeles to another location·View the California right to farm overview
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Agricultural Zoning Protection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle agricultural zoning protection.