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

Sec. D establishes the Agriculture (A-G) zoning district to provide 'space for continued agricultural uses within the City of Merced's City limits,' replacing the former A-1-20 zoning district and applying to all land still zoned A-1-20. The minimum size of an A-G district is 20 acres. 18-2 (Sec. 030) backs that purpose with development standards built around large, low-intensity parcels: a 20-acre minimum lot area, 300-foot minimum lot width and depth, a 40-foot minimum exterior setback, 25 and 20-foot interior setbacks, a 35-foot height cap, and a lot coverage maximum of just 2 percent, far below the 25 to 50 percent allowed in the city's residential subzones.

' Other agricultural support uses get conditional approval: agricultural processing and packing facilities for products raised on the premises require a conditional use permit, and a single roadside produce stand selling only what's grown on-site is permitted outright, with additional stands needing a site plan review permit. Hog-raising and onsite wholesale sale of products are expressly prohibited under the agricultural-use notes.