Article 82-50.4 — Contra Costa County Municipal Code

82-50.402 - Location requirements.¶

Urban farm animal raising and keeping is allowed on any lot in a single-family residential district (R-6, R-7, R-10, R-12, R-15, R-20, R-40, R-65, and R-100), a planned unit (P-1) district for which single-family residential uses are approved, or a two-family residential (D-1) district.

(Ord. No. 2018-06, § II, 5-1-18)

Exceptions & meaning →

82-50.404 - Standards—Small animals.¶

(a)

The minimum area of a lot on which fowl (except for hens), rabbits, or grain-fed rodents may be raised or kept is twenty thousand square feet.

(b)

The maximum number of domesticated female chickens (hens) allowed on a single lot is one hen per one thousand square feet of lot area.

(c)

No more than an aggregate total of twenty fowl (including hens), rabbits, and grain-fed rodents may be kept on a single lot.

(d)

The maximum height of a chicken coop, rabbit hutch, or similar accessory structure for the housing of small animals is twelve feet.

(e)

Chicken coops, rabbit hutches, and similar accessory structures for the housing of small animals must be set back from property lines by the following distances:

Average Lot Width Minimum Distance From Front Property Line Side Property Line Rear Property Line

Less than 80 feet	50 feet	10 feet	10 feet
80 feet or more, but less than 120 feet	50 feet	25 feet	25 feet
120 feet or more	60 feet	40 feet	40 feet

(f)

Bird enclosures are governed by Article 82-50.6.

(Ord. No. 2018-06, § II, 5-1-18)

Exceptions & meaning →

82-50.406 - Standards—Apiaries.¶

(a)

The minimum area of a lot on which an apiary may be kept is six thousand square feet.

(b)

The maximum number of beehives allowed on a single lot, excluding nucleus hives, is determined by lot area, as follows:

Lot Area	Maximum Number of Beehives
6,000 square feet or more, but less than 20,000 square feet	4
20,000 square feet or more, but less than 40,000 square feet	6
40,000 square feet or more	8

(c)

For each beehive kept on a lot in accordance with subsection (b), one nucleus hive may also be kept on the lot.

(d)

An apiary must be registered and identified in accordance with Article 4 of Chapter 1 of Division 13 of the Food and Agricultural Code.

(e)

A fresh water source for bees must be provided at all times on a lot on which an apiary is located.

(f)

The maximum height of an accessory structure for the housing of beehives is twelve feet.

(g)

Accessory structures for the housing of beehives must be set back from property lines by the following distances:

Average Lot Width Minimum Distance From Front Property Line Side Property Line Rear Property Line

Less than 80 feet	50 feet	15 feet	15 feet
80 feet or more, but less than 120 feet	50 feet	25 feet	25 feet
120 feet or more	60 feet	40 feet	40 feet

(h)

If an accessory structure for the housing of beehives is located less than twenty-five feet from any property line, the structure must be enclosed by a six-foot tall solid barrier located ten feet or less from the structure in all directions.

(Ord. No. 2018-06, § II, 5-1-18)

Exceptions & meaning →

82-50.408 - Standards—Livestock.¶

(a)

The minimum area of a lot on which livestock may be raised or kept is forty thousand square feet. The lot must be contiguous.

(b)

The maximum number of livestock on a single lot is two head of livestock per forty thousand square feet of lot area.

(c)

Barns, stables, and other buildings or structures used to shelter livestock must be set back at least one hundred feet from the front property line and all streets, and must be set back at least fifty feet from all side and rear property lines. Fenced pasture, paddocks, or other enclosed livestock areas must be located at least ten feet from all property lines.

(Ord. No. 2018-06, § II, 5-1-18)

Exceptions & meaning →