Walton County, GA Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

Section 4-1-110 of the Land Development Ordinance establishes the (A) Agricultural District as composed of areas with a rural character devoted primarily to farm operations, expressly including the raising of soil crops, livestock, fish, fowl, and commercial timber, as mapped on the Walton County Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The ordinance states its purpose in plain terms: intensive development is unlikely to occur in the near future and is discouraged in these areas, so only minimum restrictions are imposed on agricultural uses within the district. Practically, that means a landowner farming in the A district faces a light regulatory touch compared to residential or business districts: principal agricultural uses and structures are allowed under Article 5, Part 5-1's use table, livestock quarters, poultry, and horse stables/boarding are listed as permitted uses, and accessory structures like barns, doghouses, livestock enclosures and produce stands are allowed under Article 5, Part 5-2 without the architectural design standards imposed on subdivided residential lots.

The A district also carries the lowest impervious surface cap countywide, fifteen percent, reflecting its rural, low-development character. Property owners considering conversion of agricultural land to more intensive uses must go through the Article 4, Part 4-4 rezoning process before the Board of Commissioners, and land actively farmed retains its agricultural classification and minimal restrictions unless and until that rezoning occurs.