St. Martin Parish, LA Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Agricultural districts
- A-1 (Floodprone/Marginal Land) and A-2 (Field Crops/Range Land)
- Roadway reach
- 500 feet from the centerline of the road
- Minimum lot area
- One acre in both districts
- Main building height
- 35 feet
- Front yard
- 50 feet
- Business signs
- Not over 12 square feet
Summary
Unincorporated St. Martin Parish splits farmland into two Zoning Ordinance districts: A-1 for floodprone, marginal land and A-2 for field crops and range land. A-2 permits farms and farm-related buildings, stables, kennels and roadside stands for products grown on premises, with a one acre minimum lot and a 35 foot height limit on the main building.
Zoning District A-2 (Agricultural—Field Crops, Range Land). Permitted Uses: Farms and farm-related buildings; private airstrips; single-family dwellings (2 per acre) and accessory uses; single-unit mobile homes (2 per acre); extractions (except borrow pits); parish parks and playgrounds and facilities in conjunction therewith; recreational areas; clubs; public and private forests and wildlife reservations; stables; kennels; animal hospitals; home occupations; boat houses and docks; churches; public and private schools (excluding trade and business); public building or land use whose sole purpose is to preserve national defense; utilities (public and private); libraries; nurseries (horticultural); gardens; police and fire stations; golf courses; roadside stand for products grown on premises; coastal zone sites; oil and gas exploration; oil and gas pump transfer stations; helistops; cemeteries; duplexes (2 per acre).
Full Breakdown
Art. III § 1 of the St. Martin Parish Zoning Ordinance (Appendix C) divides the unincorporated area of the parish into districts, two of them agricultural: A-1 Agricultural, Floodprone/Marginal Land and A-2 Agricultural, Field Crops/Range Land. Under art. III § 2, zoning follows the nearest public roadway, and the designated zoning reaches five hundred (500) feet from the road's centerline unless Appendix C says otherwise. Land beyond that is zoned as determined by the Director of Zoning, subject to appeal to the Board of Zoning Adjustment, which is the Parish Council sitting in that role under art. VIII § 1.
A-2 is the working-farm district. Farms and farm-related buildings are permitted uses, along with stables, kennels, animal hospitals, horticultural nurseries, gardens, a roadside stand for products grown on premises, and single-family dwellings and duplexes at 2 per acre. Borrowpits, solid waste sites other than sanitary landfills, triplexes/fourplexes and C-1 uses need an exception from the Board of Adjustment. A-1 permits livestock grazing, pasture forage production, aquaculture (fish/crayfish farming), forests, wild game reservations and extractions; farm related buildings in A-1 are an exception by the Board of Adjustment.
Both districts print the same lot requirements, subject to Louisiana State Sanitary Code, Chapter 13: minimum lot area of one acre, a front yard of 50 feet, a side yard totaling 20% of lot width with one yard of 20 feet, and a rear yard of 20% of lot depth, not required to exceed 25 feet. The main building tops out at 35 feet, and business signs cannot exceed 12 square feet.
The ordinance defines a Farm as any parcel used for gain in the raising of agricultural products, livestock, poultry and dairy products, including necessary farm structures within the prescribed limits and the storage of equipment used. Two other parish provisions help farms: Code § 8-2 excludes farm structures from the adopted construction code, and § 26-38(1) exempts agricultural activities, properly muffled, from the sound-level standards. The staged code does not use the phrase right to farm.
Violations & Fines
The director of planning and development enforces the Zoning Ordinance. Under art. X § 2, a violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $500, or not more than thirty (30) days in jail, or both, for each day it continues. Art. XI § 1 requires registered-mail notice, a posted placard and a stop on construction until the violation is corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I graze livestock in an A-1 district in unincorporated St. Martin Parish?
Do I need an exception to build a barn?
How does the parish decide whether my parcel is agricultural?
Are farm activities exempt from the parish noise rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Martin Parish
Compare St. Martin Parish to another location·View the Louisiana right to farm overview
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