Salt Lake City, UT Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- AG district minimum lot
- 2 acres, 100 ft width
- AG-5 district minimum lot
- 5 acres
- AG-20 district minimum lot
- 40 acres
- Livestock setback (AG)
- 100 ft from neighboring home
- Barred uses
- Stockyards, slaughterhouses, rendering plants
Summary
Salt Lake City sets aside dedicated AG, AG-2, AG-5 and AG-20 zoning districts to preserve land for local food production, with 2- to 40-acre minimum lots and buffer rules protecting farms from neighboring conflicts.
The purpose of the AG Agricultural District is to preserve and protect agricultural uses for local food production in suitable portions of Salt Lake City. These regulations are also designed to minimize conflicts between agricultural and nonagricultural uses... No feeding, grazing, or sheltering of livestock and poultry... shall be permitted within one hundred feet (100') of an existing single-family dwelling on an adjacent lot. Stockyards, feed yards, slaughterhouses and rendering plants shall not be permitted.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Salt Lake City doesn't have a standalone right-to-farm ordinance, but its zoning code carves out AG, AG-2, AG-5 and AG-20 Agricultural Districts specifically "to preserve and protect agricultural uses for local food production." The base AG district requires 2-acre minimum lots and 100-foot width, while AG-2 and AG-5 require the matching acreage per their name; AG-20 requires 40 acres. Livestock and poultry feeding, grazing or sheltering must stay 100 feet from a neighboring home in the AG district (50 feet in AG-2), and stockyards, feed yards, slaughterhouses and rendering plants are barred outright citywide in these districts.
Violations & Fines
Zoning enforcement runs through the Salt Lake City Planning Division; using land for agriculture outside a district where it's a permitted or conditional use, or violating the livestock setback and prohibited-use rules, is a zoning code violation subject to compliance orders and civil penalties under Title 21A enforcement provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I raise livestock anywhere in Salt Lake City?
How big does a lot need to be for the AG Agricultural District?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
Compare Salt Lake City to another location·View the Utah right to farm overview
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Agricultural Zoning Protection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle agricultural zoning protection.