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.
Riverside, CA
RMC §7.35.010(B)(10) bars vehicle/motorcycle/motorboat/aircraft repair, rebuilding, modifying, or testing that disturbs across a residential line. Powered mo...
Riverside, CA
Riverside Municipal Code Chapter 19.550 prohibits hazardous fence materials such as barbed wire, razor wire, and electrified fencing in residential zones, an...
Riverside, CA
California SB 946 (Gov. Code §§ 51036-51039) decriminalized sidewalk vending statewide; cities may regulate but not ban outright. Riverside requires a Sidewa...
Riverside, CA
Riverside Municipal Code § 9.08.090 prohibits model airplane flying, model rockets, and 'any game of a hazardous nature' inside any City park except where sp...
Riverside, CA
Since July 1, 2022, Riverside's green cart is a combined organics cart: yard trimmings AND bagged food scraps go in the same brown-body/green-lid container p...
Riverside, CA
Dumping trash, furniture, mattresses, construction debris, or yard waste on any street, lot, alley, or wash within Riverside violates both Riverside Municipa...
See how Riverside's farm nuisance protection rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.