Arapahoe County, CO Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Districts covered
- A-E, A-1, RR-A
- Governing sections
- LDC §§ 2-3.2.C.3, 2-3.3.C.3, 2-3.4.C.3
- Rezoning finding required
- No significant impact on adjacent farms
- Also required
- Compliance with state right-to-farm law
- Scope
- Unincorporated Rural Area rezonings only
- District purpose
- Preserve rural agricultural economy (§ 2-3.1.A)
Summary
Arapahoe County's A-E and A-1 agricultural zone districts exist to preserve a rural, agriculture-based economy in unincorporated eastern Arapahoe County, and the LDC ties new residential rezonings there to the state's right-to-farm protections. Under LDC § 2-3.2.C.3, a rezoning to A-E can only be approved if new residential development 'will have no significant, adverse impact' on nearby farms and will comply with state right-to-farm law.
Any residential development proposed within the district will have no significant, adverse impact on the continued operations of any adjacent agricultural use(s) and will comply with any applicable "right to farm" provisions in state statutes.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 2 of the Land Development Code creates a family of agricultural and rural-residential districts for unincorporated Arapahoe County. A). The right-to-farm protection sits in the rezoning criteria that follow each district's purpose statement. 3 (RR-A). In effect, the County will not approve new residential rezonings next to working farms and ranches in the Rural Area unless the proposal is shown to leave those agricultural operations undisturbed and consistent with Colorado's statutory right-to-farm framework. A, the protection runs with land outside Aurora, Centennial, Littleton, Englewood, and the county's other cities, which map and zone any agricultural or rural land separately under their own codes.
Violations & Fines
This is a rezoning criterion, not a standalone offense: a proposed rezoning into A-E, A-1, or RR-A that the County finds will significantly harm an adjacent farm's operations, or that conflicts with state right-to-farm law, fails LDC § 2-3.2.C.3, § 2-3.3.C.3, or § 2-3.4.C.3 and cannot be approved. Development that proceeds under an approval obtained without that finding remains subject to the LDC's general enforcement authority under § 1-2.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rezone rural land next to a working farm for a new subdivision in unincorporated Arapahoe County?
What is the purpose of the A-1 Agricultural district?
Does this right-to-farm zoning protection apply in Aurora or Centennial?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Arapahoe County
Compare Arapahoe County to another location·View the Colorado right to farm overview
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