Tempe, AZ Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

Section 3-404 of the Zoning and Development Code sets the standards for agricultural uses permitted in Tempe's AG district. Farming, including field crops, orchards, and horticulture, is allowed outright. Livestock, meaning cattle, horses, sheep, goats or similar animals other than swine, is calculated on a fixed formula: one horse, cow or similar animal, or two sheep, goats or similar animals, for every 6,000 square feet of net lot area, after deducting at least 30 percent of the lot and no more than half an acre for the home site; the total of all such animals on one lot cannot exceed 24, and animals six months old or younger do not count toward that cap.

Apiaries require a use permit and must keep occupied hives at least 200 feet from any dwelling on another property, at least 50 feet from any property line, and at least 150 feet from any street or bridle path. Grazing cattle, sheep or horses is allowed on sites of five acres or more, and a commercial horse stable needs a minimum net site of ten acres, while a dairy farm needs at least 40 acres. Processing of farm products grown on-site requires a use permit on a site of five acres or more. Outside the AG district, Section 3-404(I) separately allows small animals and up to two pot-bellied pigs (five animals total) and up to six domestic chickens per lot in any residential district with a single-family home, though roosters and peafowl are barred except in the AG district itself, and keeping any of these animals in a way that creates a nuisance is unlawful.