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Ridgefield, CT Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

Few Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Zoning permit needed
None, for farming and farm stands
Farm stand condition
Products must be grown on the premises
Governing tier
§3.2.A permitted-without-permit uses
Equestrian limit
Capped separately under §3.2.C.1 (2011)
Enforcement
ZEO notice, 10 days to correct, §9.4.C

Summary

Ridgefield's Zoning Regulations list farming, forestry, truck gardening and nursery gardening as principal uses permitted in every residential zone without any zoning permit. Section 3.2.A.2 also lets landowners run a farm stand selling seasonal produce and other agricultural products, as long as everything sold was grown on the premises.

A. PERMITTED WITHOUT ZONING PERMIT ... 2. Agricultural Uses - Farming, forestry, truck gardening, and nursery gardening, including a farm stand for the display and sale of seasonal produce and other agricultural products provided they are grown on the premises.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.

Full Breakdown

2 of the Zoning Regulations sorts residential land uses into three tiers: those permitted without any zoning permit, those permitted with a Zoning Permit from the Zoning Enforcement Officer (ZEO), and those requiring a Special Permit from the Planning and Zoning Commission. Agricultural uses sit in the top tier. 2 covers farming, forestry, truck gardening and nursery gardening, and extends the same by-right status to a farm stand, provided the produce and other agricultural products offered for sale were grown on the property itself; a stand reselling produce trucked in from elsewhere would fall outside the exemption.

1, added by amendment 2011-011-A effective 4/8/11, above which a horse-keeping operation needs Commission approval instead. Because farming and farm stands need no Zoning Permit at all, an owner does not file plans with the ZEO or pay any permit fee for the farming use itself. 3, which still requires at least a Zoning Permit. 5 layer on lot size and setback rules.

Violations & Fines

A use that exceeds the farm-stand exemption, such as selling produce not grown on the premises, becomes an unpermitted commercial use. Under Zoning Regulations § 9.4.C, the Zoning Enforcement Officer serves a violation notice giving ten days to correct it. Section 9.4.D exposes a continuing violation to the fines and injunctive remedies under Conn. Gen. Stat. Chapter 124, with a separate violation for each day it continues; the owner may appeal a ZEO order to the Zoning Board of Appeals under § 9.5.B.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a zoning permit to farm my land in Ridgefield?
No. Zoning Regulations § 3.2.A.2 lists farming, forestry, truck gardening and nursery gardening as principal uses permitted without a zoning permit in every residential zone. You don't file with the Zoning Enforcement Officer or pay a permit fee for the farming use itself, though other work on the property, like a new barn, may trigger separate permit requirements.
Can I sell produce from a stand on my property?
Yes, under the same § 3.2.A.2 exemption, but only for seasonal produce and other agricultural products actually grown on your premises. A stand reselling produce sourced from other farms or wholesalers is not covered by the exemption and would need Commission review as a commercial use instead.
Are there limits on keeping horses under the agricultural exemption?
Equestrian facilities are listed among the uses permitted without a zoning permit in § 3.2.A.4, but that exemption is capped by the separate standards in § 3.2.C.1, added by amendment 2011-011-A effective April 8, 2011. Beyond those limits, an equestrian operation needs Special Permit approval from the Commission instead.
What happens if the Zoning Enforcement Officer finds a violation?
Under § 9.4.C, the ZEO serves a written violation notice ordering the condition corrected within ten days. Continuing violations can draw the fines and injunctive remedies set out in Conn. Gen. Stat. Chapter 124, including a separate violation for each day the condition persists, under § 9.4.D. Orders can be appealed to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Ridgefield

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All Ridgefield rules

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