Vestavia Hills, AL Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

1 of the Vestavia Hills Zoning Ordinance creates the A-Agriculture District, intended to keep open, unsubdivided land in agricultural and low-density residential use. 1, stables and farms are only allowed on lots of one acre or larger, so agricultural livestock uses cannot be squeezed onto small parcels. 2 then layers on locational buffers rather than banning livestock outright: livestock and fowl cannot be housed, fed or watered within 150 feet of the boundary of another zoning district, nor within 300 feet of the nearest existing residence on an abutting or adjacent property, and piles of feed or bedding must sit at least 100 feet back from any right-of-way or property line to control odor and nuisance complaints.

The district also limits each lot of record to one main structure and its accessory buildings, and cross-references Article 4 for accessory structures, Article 8 for parking, Article 9 for landscaping and Article 11 for signs. Because Alabama municipalities only hold zoning power the legislature grants them, Vestavia Hills' protection for agricultural use runs through this district's use and setback standards rather than through a nuisance-immunity statute; that separate protection against 'coming to the nuisance' suits exists at the state level under the Code of Alabama, not as a city ordinance.