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Spokane Valley, WA Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

Light Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Noise exemption
Agricultural activity sounds, §7.05.040(K)(2)(p)
Dust exemption
Permitted agricultural activities, §7.05.040(L)
Odor
No agricultural exemption, §7.05.040(G)
Dedicated ag zoning district
None; farming is a supplemental use
Ag use standards
Set in Chapter 19.65 SVMC

Summary

Spokane Valley's nuisance code exempts agricultural activities from two of its broadest nuisance rules. Sounds from farming operations are excluded from the noise-nuisance standard under SVMC § 7.05.040(K)(2)(p), and permitted agricultural activities are excluded from the dust-nuisance standard under SVMC § 7.05.040(L), giving farmers and hobby growers real protection from neighbor noise and dust complaints.

Sounds originating from agricultural activities. ... Dust. Any disturbance of any land area, or permitting the same, without taking affirmative measures to suppress and minimize the blowing and scattering of dust, which unreasonably interferes with the peace, comfort, or repose of a reasonable person. This provision does not include permitted agricultural activities.

View official code

Full Breakdown

65 SVMC, with standards for lot size, animal density, and setbacks. 05 SVMC, Nuisances. 040(K) lists numerous categories of sound that are exempt from the City's noise-nuisance rule, and "sounds originating from agricultural activities" is one of them, sitting alongside exemptions for parades, emergency equipment, and existing gas pipelines. 040(L) does the same for dust, carving "permitted agricultural activities" out of the rule that otherwise bars blowing or scattering dust that unreasonably interferes with a neighbor's peace and comfort. These carve-outs are narrow: they cover only noise and dust, and only where the underlying agricultural use is itself permitted under Title 19 SVMC.

Odor gets no such exemption. 040(G), which bars harmful smoke, soot, fumes, gases, or odors that are offensive or harmful to a reasonable person, contains no agricultural carve-out, so a livestock operation that generates an offensive smell can still be pursued as a nuisance the same as any other property in the city.

Violations & Fines

An agricultural operation that is not itself permitted under Title 19 SVMC gets no benefit from the noise or dust exemptions, so unlawful land uses remain fully exposed to nuisance enforcement under Chapter 7.05 SVMC. Odor, standing water, and other listed nuisances on a farm property are enforced the same as anywhere else in the city through the Chapter 17.100 SVMC code compliance process, which can lead to a notice of violation and civil penalties.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Spokane Valley have a right-to-farm ordinance?
Not a standalone one. The City instead exempts "sounds originating from agricultural activities" from its noise-nuisance rule and "permitted agricultural activities" from its dust-nuisance rule under SVMC § 7.05.040(K)(2)(p) and (L), which functions as the closest thing to right-to-farm protection in the code.
Can my neighbor file a noise complaint over my farm equipment or animals?
Sounds originating from agricultural activities are specifically exempt from the City's noise-nuisance standard under SVMC § 7.05.040(K)(2)(p), so a neighbor generally cannot use that section to force enforcement against ordinary farm noise the way they could against, for example, a loud stereo.
Is dust from plowing or tilling a code violation?
No, as long as the agricultural use itself is permitted. SVMC § 7.05.040(L) excludes permitted agricultural activities from the dust-nuisance rule that otherwise bars blowing or scattering dust that unreasonably interferes with a neighbor's peace, comfort, or repose.
Are odors from livestock or manure exempt too?
No. SVMC § 7.05.040(G), covering smoke, soot, fumes, gases, and odors, has no agricultural exemption, so an offensive smell from a farm use can still be enforced as a nuisance the same way it would be against any other property.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Spokane Valley

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All Spokane Valley rules

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