West Jordan, UT Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- A-1 minimum lot
- 1 acre
- A-5 minimum lot
- 5 acres
- A-20 minimum lot
- 20 acres
- Max building height
- 35 ft (silos, ag structures exempt)
- Dwellings per lot
- One single-family home per lot
- Min street frontage
- 50 feet
- Violation penalty
- Class C misdemeanor, § 13-4-11
Summary
West Jordan shields farmland through three Agricultural Zones, A-1, A-5 and A-20, instead of a standalone right-to-farm ordinance. City Code section 13-5A-1 states the zones exist to encourage crop growing and livestock raising and to stop "leap frog" urban encroachment onto working land until residential, commercial or industrial development becomes necessary and desirable.
The purpose of the Agricultural Zones is to provide areas where the growing of crops and the raising of livestock can be encouraged and supported within the City. Uses permitted in the A Zones, in addition to agricultural uses, must be incidental thereto and should not change the basic agricultural character of the zone. Conversion of the Agricultural Zone to zones allowing urban uses should be accomplished in an orderly and progressive manner, with no "leap frog" encroachments of such uses or developments into the agricultural area. The A Zones should be established in agricultural areas needing protection from encroachment of urban development until such time as residential, commercial or industrial uses in such areas become necessary and desirable.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-38: Code current through: Ord. 26-33, passed 6-23-2026).
Full Breakdown
The A-1, A-5 and A-20 districts require minimum lots of one, five and twenty acres respectively, with a 150-foot lot width and at least 50 feet of street frontage under section 13-5A-3. Front yards run 30 feet (22 feet on cul-de-sacs), interior side yards 8 feet, corner side yards 30 feet and rear yards 25 feet. Buildings top out at 35 feet, but silos and other agricultural accessory structures not used for human occupancy may exceed that limit, and the code sets no maximum building coverage percentage in any of the three A zones.
Section 13-5A-4 caps development at one single-family dwelling per lot or parcel; a temporary mobile home is allowed only under a one-year conditional use permit while a permanent dwelling is under construction on the same lot. The permitted-use table in 13-5A-2 allows agriculture, agricultural processing, barns and single-family homes outright, while swine or dairy operations, animal specialties, athletic fields, riding academies and topsoil operations need a Planning Commission conditional use permit. Topsoil operations that move more than fifty cubic yards of soil must first obtain a land disturbance permit, screen the site with a twenty-foot landscape buffer under section 13-14-3, and operate along a truck route designated in section 7-4-3. Kennels are conditional in A-1 and A-5 but permitted outright in A-20. "
Violations & Fines
The development services department enforces title 13 under section 13-4-1 and may inspect land, issue stop-work orders, revoke permits or refer cases to code enforcement under 13-4-4. Section 13-4-11 makes any zoning violation, including exceeding density limits or running unpermitted uses in an A zone, a Class C misdemeanor, with each day of noncompliance charged as a separate offense enforceable administratively under title 16 or criminally in court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does West Jordan have a right-to-farm ordinance?
How big does my lot need to be to farm in West Jordan?
Can I build a second house on my agricultural lot for a family member?
Do topsoil or grading operations need a permit in West Jordan's agricultural zones?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in West Jordan
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Agricultural Zoning Protection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle agricultural zoning protection.