Troy, MI Right to Farm: Farm Nuisance Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Zoning Ordinance § 12.06.B.4
- General rule
- odors detrimental to health/comfort barred
- Farm exemption
- lawful farms under MI Right to Farm Act
- Exemption scope
- odors only, not other § 12.06 standards
- Enforcement
- Municipal Civil Infraction, Ch. 100
Summary
Troy's environmental performance standards ban odors that are detrimental to public health or unreasonably interfere with public comfort, but Zoning Ordinance Section 12.06.B.4 carves out lawful farm operations. Farms protected by the Michigan Right to Farm Act are exempt from the City's odor-nuisance abatement requirement.
4. Odors. Any condition or operation which results in the creation of odors of such intensity and character as to be detrimental to the health and welfare of the public or which interferes unreasonably with the comfort of the public shall be removed, stopped, or so modified as to remove the odor. This requirement is not intended to interfere with the operation of a farm, as defined by this Ordinance, which is lawful pursuant to the Michigan Right to Farm Act, as amended.
Full Breakdown
4 addresses odors: any condition or operation producing odors intense enough to be detrimental to public health and welfare, or that unreasonably interferes with the public's comfort, must be removed, stopped, or modified until the odor is gone. ' In practice, this means a farm operating lawfully under the state Right to Farm Act and its Generally Accepted Agricultural and Management Practices cannot be forced by Troy's zoning code to abate odors that are a normal incident of that farm's operation, even though a factory, kennel, or other business generating the same intensity of odor would be in violation. 06, such as airborne emissions, dust, or hazardous substance handling, which still apply regardless of Right to Farm status.
Violations & Fines
Non-farm uses that violate the odor standard face a Municipal Civil Infraction under Section 3.08 and Chapter 100 of the Troy Code of Ordinances, and the City can seek abatement of the condition as a public nuisance per se. A qualifying farm operation cannot be cited for ordinary odors from lawful farming activity, though it remains subject to Troy's other Section 12.06 environmental standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Troy's nuisance-odor rule apply to farms?
What counts as a 'farm' for Troy's Right to Farm exemption?
Can a farm in Troy still be cited for other environmental violations?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Troy
Compare Troy to another location·View the Michigan right to farm overview
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