Contra Costa County Municipal Code Ch. 824-10 Food Service in Agricultural Districts

(a) Up to twelve farm dinners may be hosted at a property per year.

(b) The maximum number of guests at a farm dinner is thirty, except that one farm dinner with a maximum of one hundred fifty guests may be held at a property annually. A farm dinner is not an event subject to the requirements of Chapter 82-44, Temporary Events.

(c) A farm dinner may be hosted in an existing structure, outdoors on a property, on a patio, or on a deck. If a farm dinner is hosted in an existing structure, the structure must meet all building codes and fire codes that apply to the proposed number of guests.

(d) Excessive noise that significantly impairs the quiet enjoyment of neighboring properties is prohibited. Quiet hours during which noise must be restricted such that it cannot be heard from neighboring properties shall be between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following morning. The amplification of sound by any device at a farm dinner is prohibited during quiet hours.

(e) Exterior lighting must be directed downward and away from adjacent properties.

(f) The host of a farm dinner must engage in a program of agricultural promotion and guest education regarding the agricultural activities on site and in the area. The program may include active participation in the on-site agricultural activities as part of the consideration for the farm dinner.

(g) An agricultural activities and promotion plan must be submitted with the permit application. The plan must demonstrate that the primary use of the land is for agriculture by including a map of the parcel, the location of agritourism use(s), the location of any other structures, the locations and type of agricultural activities to be conducted on the parcel, and the total percentage of parcel area engaged in agricultural activities. The plan must also describe the agricultural promotion program associated with the farm dinner, including how the program will promote local agriculture and educate guests.

(h) This section does not authorize the establishment of a microenterprise home kitchen operation. Food served at a farm dinner must be prepared in accordance with all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

(Ord. No. 2024-06, § 2, 3-5-24)

(a) A farm-to-table restaurant may be established in an existing structure or in a new structure.

(b) The minimum parcel size for farm-to-table restaurant is ten acres.

(c) The maximum dining area size in a farm-to-table restaurant is one thousand five hundred square feet.

(d) The maximum dining area capacity in a farm-to-table restaurant is thirty-five guests.

(e) Excessive noise that significantly impairs the quiet enjoyment of neighboring properties is prohibited. Quiet hours during which noise must be restricted such that it cannot be heard from neighboring properties shall be between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. the following morning. The amplification of sound by any device outside the farm-to-table restaurant is prohibited during quiet hours.

(f) Exterior lighting must be directed downward and away from adjacent properties.

(g) Unless otherwise provided in a land use permit, at least fifty percent of the fruits and vegetables served at a farm-to-table restaurant must be grown on-site. A land use permit may, based the site's agricultural activities and seasonal impacts on production, authorize a different percentage of fruits and vegetables grown on-site that must be served at the farm-to-table restaurant. At least seventy-five percent of the fruits and vegetables served at a farm- to-table restaurant must be grown within Contra Costa County.

(h) An agricultural activities and promotion plan must be submitted with the permit application. The plan must demonstrate that the primary use of the land is for agriculture by including a map of the parcel, the location of agritourism use(s), the location of any other structures, the locations and type of agricultural activities to be conducted on the parcel, and the total percentage of parcel area engaged in agricultural activities. The plan must also demonstrate how the farm-to-table restaurant will meet the percentage requirements for fruits and vegetables that must be grown on-site. The plan must also describe the agricultural promotion program associated with the farm-to-table restaurant, including how the program will promote local agriculture and educate guests.

(i) At least eighty percent of a parcel where a farm-to-table restaurant is located must be engaged in agricultural activities and kept free of structures.

(j) A farm-to-table restaurant may only be located on a lot served by a retail water supplier or within the boundaries of the East Contra Costa County Groundwater Subbasin. A "retail water supplier" is a public agency, city, county, or investor-owned water utility regulated by the state Public Utilities Commission that provides retail water service. A mutual water company is not a retail water supplier.

(k) In land use districts where a farm-to-table restaurant regulated by this division would otherwise be a permitted use, it is unlawful to establish a farm-to-table restaurant if the location of the farm-to-table restaurant is within one mile of any parcel occupied by any other farm-to-table restaurant. For the purposes of this subsection, distance is measured by the shortest line connecting any point on the property line of the parcel on which the farm-to-table restaurant will be established to any point on the property line of the other parcel.

(Ord. No. 2024-06, § 2, 3-5-24)

(a) Except as otherwise provided for in this section, a food truck or other mobile food vendor may not operate on any private parcel where an agritourism use is authorized under this division.

(b) A food truck or other mobile food vendor may operate on a private parcel where an agritourism use is authorized in any of the following circumstances:

(1) The agritourism use is a grower stand, farm stand, or farm market, and the food truck or other mobile food vendor is accessory to and only operates during the operation of the grower stand, farm stand, or farm market. Not more than three food trucks or other mobile food vendors may operate on the private parcel at the same time.

(2) A land use permit issued under this division authorizes a food truck or other mobile food vendor to operate on the private parcel.

(3) The food truck or other mobile food vendor is part of a temporary event authorized under Chapter 82-44.

(Ord. No. 2024-06, § 2, 3-5-24)