Loveland, CO Right to Farm: Farm Nuisance Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Protecting statute
- C.R.S. § 35-3.5-101 et seq.
- Compliance standard
- Must meet C.R.S. § 35-3.5-102
- Covers
- Farms/ranches predating UDC or later annexed
- Base standards exempted
- Arterial access, no burning or aerial spray
- UDC effective date
- November 20, 2018
Summary
Loveland's Unified Development Code exempts farms and ranches that existed before the UDC's effective date, or that were later annexed into the city, from its own farm-or-ranch use standards, citing Colorado's Right to Farm Act at C.R.S. § 35-3.5-101 et seq., so long as the operation meets that statute's own standards.
In recognition of the protected right to farm (C.R.S. § 35-3.5-101, et seq.), the standards of this subsection do not apply to farms or ranches that existed on the effective date of this UDC, or that are annexed into the City after the effective date of this UDC, provided that the standards of C.R.S. § 35-3.5-102 are met.
Full Breakdown
B, Farm or Ranch, sets baseline access and burn/spray limits on every farm or ranch use in the city: access must come from an arterial street, and the operation cannot grow crops that require controlled burning or aerial pesticide application. 5-102, the state statute shielding agricultural operations from nuisance actions over odor, noise, dust and similar effects when they follow accepted agricultural practices. 2 or any other UDC standard that otherwise applies to the property.
Violations & Fines
A protected farm or ranch that loses its state-law exemption, for example by materially changing the operation in a way C.R.S. § 35-3.5-102 does not cover, becomes subject to the UDC's arterial-access and no-burn/no-aerial-spray standards in Section 18.02.04.11.B.1.a, enforceable through the City's Chapter 18.18 zoning enforcement process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Loveland's zoning code override a farmer's right to farm?
Which farms qualify for the exemption?
What UDC standards does the exemption cover?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Loveland
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