Right to Farm in Texas (2026)
36 rules on the books across Texas, 28 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Farm Nuisance Protection
Whether established farms are shielded from nuisance lawsuits and from local ordinances that would restrict their operations.
Texas: statewide
StatewideFew RestrictionsThe Texas Right to Farm Act, Agriculture Code Chapter 251, protects established agricultural operations from nuisance…
Read full rule →Harris County
Light RestrictionsTexas Agriculture Code Chapter 251, the Right to Farm Act, protects established agricultural operations from nuisance…
Read full rule →Killeen
Light RestrictionsKilleen bans keeping livestock, swine or fowl within city limits, but Code of Ordinances Sec. 6-154 exempts any land…
Read full rule →New Braunfels
Light RestrictionsNew Braunfels' fugitive-dust control rules for construction, grading, and land-clearing do not apply to agricultural…
Read full rule →Parker
Light RestrictionsParker's nuisance code does not grant a broad right-to-farm shield, but § 94.02(F)(2) carves out one specific…
Read full rule →Dallas County
Few RestrictionsTexas Agriculture Code Chapter 251, the Right to Farm Act, protects established agricultural operations from nuisance…
Read full rule →Fort Bend County
Few RestrictionsTexas Agriculture Code Section 251.004 shields farms and ranches in unincorporated Fort Bend County from nuisance suits…
Read full rule →Fort Worth
Few RestrictionsTexas Agriculture Code Chapter 251 protects farms operating one year or longer from nuisance suits based on changed…
Read full rule →San Antonio
Few RestrictionsTexas Agriculture Code Chapter 251 protects farms operating one year or longer from nuisance suits based on changed…
Read full rule →Agricultural Zoning Protection
State rules that limit how cities and counties may zone or restrict agricultural land uses, including livestock and crop operations.
Texas: statewide
StatewideFew RestrictionsTexas Local Government Code Chapter 212 and Agriculture Code Chapter 251 limit municipal authority to zone or regulate…
Read full rule →Converse
Significant RestrictionsConverse has no land zoned for agriculture: every agricultural use needs a city-council-approved special use permit.
Read full rule →Abilene
Some RestrictionsAbilene's Agricultural Open Space (AO) District, Land Development Code Sec. 2.3.2.1, preserves vacant and working…
Read full rule →Amarillo
Some RestrictionsNewly annexed land in Amarillo starts out zoned 'A' Agricultural District under section 4-10-64, and stays that way…
Read full rule →Austin
Some RestrictionsAustin's Land Development Code defines agricultural uses in Sec. 25-2-7 and sets numeric development standards for the…
Read full rule →Baytown
Some RestrictionsBaytown's Unified Land Development Code sets a one-acre minimum lot size before an owner can keep livestock, rabbits…
Read full rule →Dallas
Some RestrictionsDallas Development Code Chapter 51A permits agricultural use as a primary use in A(A) Agricultural districts and allows…
Read full rule →Fort Worth
Some RestrictionsFort Worth's Agricultural ("AG") zoning district lets landowners keep farming, ranching, orchards and nurseries…
Read full rule →Frisco
Some RestrictionsFrisco's AG Agricultural District zoning reserves land on the urban fringe for farming until development pressure…
Read full rule →Irving
Some RestrictionsIrving's Unified Development Code sets aside an Agricultural (AG) zoning district where farming, ranching and related…
Read full rule →Killeen
Some RestrictionsKilleen bans keeping livestock, swine or fowl anywhere within city limits under Sec. 6-153, but Sec. 6-154 carves out a…
Read full rule →Laredo
Some RestrictionsLaredo zones farmland separately under the AG (agricultural district), created specifically to keep row crops…
Read full rule →Lubbock
Some RestrictionsLubbock's Residential Estates (RE) zoning district lists Farm, Ranch, or Orchard and Winery as permitted (P) uses by…
Read full rule →Midland
Some RestrictionsMidland's zoning code confines agricultural use, farms, ranches, stables, orchards, and plant nurseries, to the AE…
Read full rule →Parker
Some RestrictionsParker's Agricultural-Open Space (A-O) district protects undeveloped land for farming, pasturage and open space under…
Read full rule →Plano
Some RestrictionsPlano zones qualifying rural-character tracts as the A, Agricultural district, expressly reserving them for farming…
Read full rule →San Antonio
Some RestrictionsSan Antonio's Unified Development Code sets aside an FR Farm and Ranch zoning district to preserve rural, agricultural…
Read full rule →Sugar Land
Some RestrictionsSugar Land allows small-scale ranching and farm-animal keeping only on large residential lots. The Development Code…
Read full rule →Garland
Light RestrictionsGarland has no standalone right-to-farm ordinance; agricultural land is protected through zoning instead. GDC Section…
Read full rule →Grand Prairie
Light RestrictionsGrand Prairie's Agriculture District (A) keeps land in farm use with a 5-acre minimum lot and a 1,600-square-foot…
Read full rule →Cedar Park
Few RestrictionsCedar Park's Development Reserve (DR) district -- the default zoning for newly annexed land -- is described in the…
Read full rule →Dallas County
Few RestrictionsTexas does not grant counties general Euclidean zoning authority. Dallas County has minimal unincorporated land, so…
Read full rule →Denton
Few RestrictionsDenton's Development Code lists General Agriculture as a permitted by-right use in all 16 base zoning districts, and…
Read full rule →Farmersville
Few RestrictionsFarmersville's zoning code creates an Agricultural (A) District under Section 77-41 and automatically classifies newly…
Read full rule →Houston
Few RestrictionsHouston is the only major U.S. city without traditional zoning. Urban agriculture is governed by recorded deed…
Read full rule →New Braunfels
Few RestrictionsNew Braunfels treats farming as a by-right use almost everywhere in the city, not just in agricultural zones. Section…
Read full rule →Waco
Few RestrictionsWaco's zoning code lists 'agricultural operations' as a use permitted by right, not by special permit, in the R-E, R-1A…
Read full rule →