Yellowstone County, MT Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum lot size
- 10 acres
- Front setback
- 35 ft (20 ft for garage/carport)
- Rear / side-street setback
- 35 ft
- Side setback
- 15 ft
- Max height
- 34 ft (occupied structures)
- Max lot coverage
- 15%
- Lot-splitting
- Barred unless all resulting lots still conform
Summary
Unincorporated Yellowstone County's Agriculture (A) zoning district exists, under Section 27-901, "to protect and preserve agricultural lands for the performance of a wide range of agricultural functions" and to "limit the scattered intrusion of uses not compatible with an agricultural environment." Section 27-903 backs that intent with a 10-acre minimum lot size, 35-foot front and rear setbacks, and a 15% lot-coverage cap that keeps development from crowding out farm operations.
SECTION 27-901. AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT DESCRIPTION The Agricultural (A) district is intended to protect and preserve agricultural lands for the performance of a wide range of agricultural functions. The intent is to limit the scattered intrusion of uses not compatible with an agricultural environment, encourage agricultural pursuits, and protect environmental concerns. ...
TABLE 27-900.1 SITE AND STRUCTURE REGULATIONS Minimum Lot Area (acres) 10 Required Setbacks (feet, minimum) Front [1] 35 Side 15 Side Adjacent to Street 35 Rear 35 Height (feet, max) [2] [3] 34
Lot Coverage (%, max) 15 Notes: [1] Garages and carports that have their approach from a street shall be setback a minimum of 20 feet.
Full Breakdown
The Yellowstone County Zoning Code carves out a dedicated Agriculture (A) district under Article 27-900, separate from the county's residential, commercial and industrial districts. 1's dimensional standards: a 10-acre minimum lot area, a 35-foot front setback, 15-foot side setbacks, 35 feet along a side adjacent to a street, a 35-foot rear setback, a 34-foot maximum building height for structures designed for human occupancy, and a 15% maximum lot coverage. A note to the table sets a reduced 20-foot minimum front setback specifically for garages and carports whose vehicle approach comes directly off a street.
Height can climb further where the ground changes grade: the code adds one foot of allowed height for every two feet of grade change of three feet or more. The district also blocks lot-splitting that would undercut those standards. C requires any lot created after the code's effective date to meet those same requirements, plus Montana Department of Environmental Quality minimums where public water or sewer is unavailable. More than one principal structure can share a lot in the A district, but only if each structure independently meets the area requirements and keeps at least 10 feet from the others.
The county's separate subdivision regulations, adopted under MCA Title 76, Chapter 3, apply to any further division of agricultural land on top of these zoning rules.
Violations & Fines
Building, dividing land, or establishing a use in the Agriculture district in violation of these dimensional standards or the lot-division rule is a misdemeanor under Section 27-1704.G, punishable by a fine up to the state statutory limit, up to six months in county jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation counted separately. The zoning coordinator in Planning & Community Services enforces the district and can order a noncompliant use stopped.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum lot size in Yellowstone County's Agriculture zoning district?
Can a landowner split agricultural land into smaller parcels?
Why does Yellowstone County have a separate Agriculture zoning district?
How close to the road can I build in the Agriculture district?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yellowstone County
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