The California Right to Farm Act under Civil Code 3482.5 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits brought by neighbors who moved in after farming began. The law applies statewide and limits both private and local government nuisance actions.
Civil Code 3482.5 provides that no agricultural activity, operation, or facility conducted on agricultural land for commercial purposes shall be considered a nuisance, private or public, after it has been in operation for more than three years if the operation was not a nuisance at its inception. The protection extends against changed surrounding conditions, including new residential development encroaching on farm areas. The statute applies statewide and binds counties, cities, and private parties. Local nuisance ordinances cannot override the state's three-year farming protection. Operations conducted negligently or in violation of state or federal law lose protection.
Plaintiffs filing barred nuisance actions may face dismissal and statutory attorney fees under Civil Code 3482.5(b) when the agricultural defendant prevails.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Bishop, CA
Bishop has no ordinance banning backyard composting. Home composting is allowed if kept clean and not a nuisance. California's SB 1383 law also requires resi...
Bishop, CA
Bishop has no ordinance banning or specially permitting artificial turf. Synthetic lawns are allowed and fit the City's water-efficient landscaping goals, th...
Bishop, CA
Bishop actively encourages water-efficient, low-water-use landscaping. Its Water-Efficient Landscapes ordinance (BMC Ch. 13.07) applies to new and rehabilita...
Bishop, CA
Bishop's Municipal Code sets no rainwater-harvesting restriction. Rain barrels and simple cisterns are legal in California, and the state encourages capturin...
Bishop, CA
Bishop draws on the Owens Valley Groundwater Basin and enforces a Water Shortage Contingency Plan. Wasting water is always prohibited (BMC 13.04.050). During...
Bishop, CA
Bishop Municipal Code Chapter 8.08 lets the City Council declare weeds, rubbish, refuse and dirt on any property a public nuisance and abate them. Owners are...
See how Bishop's farm nuisance protection rules stack up against other locations.
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