Chapter 20.7 — AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT

Delano Zoning Code · 2026-06 edition · ingested 2026-07-06 · Delano

20.7.10 - Purpose and intent.

1.

The General Plan outlines the goals, objectives and policies establishing the character and location of agricultural uses within the City. It is the purpose of this Chapter to provide regulations implementing those goals, objectives and policies to assure the preservation of existing agricultural uses as an important component of the local economy.

2.

It is further the intent of this Chapter to:

a.

Protect and promote the continuation of farming in areas with prime soils and soils of statewide importance where farming is a viable component of the local economy, and promote the continuation of farming in areas where it is already established;

b.

Separate agricultural land use and activities from incompatible residential and commercial development, and public facilities; and

c.

Prevent the encroachment of incompatible uses into agricultural lands and the premature conversion of such lands to nonagricultural uses.

20.7.20 - Agricultural district.

The primary purpose of the Agricultural (A) zone district is to designate areas suitable for agricultural uses, to prevent the encroachment of incompatible uses into agricultural lands, and to prevent the premature conversion of such lands to nonagricultural uses.

20.7.30 - Agricultural use regulations.

Identified on Table 7.A of this Chapter are those land uses or activities that may be permitted within the Agricultural zone district, subject to the provisions of this Title and applicable General Plan policies. Table 7.A also indicates the development procedure and the approval type by which each listed land use or activity may be permitted in an Agricultural zone district.

Table 7.A

Uses Permitted Within the Agricultural District

Legend

■

Not permitted in this District

P

Permitted subject to Consistency Assessment

C

Permitted Subject to approval of a Conditional Use Permit application

Permitted Subject to approval of a Conditional Use Permit application
CONDITION OF USE
A. AGRICULTURAL USES
1. Agricultural chemical storage and repackaging C
2. Agricultural services, when incidental and secondary to the
primary use of the premises for agriculture		 P
3. Agricultural trucking facilities C
4. Alcohol distillery C
CONDITION OF USE
--- ---
5. Animal products processing, including meat packing, canning,
and shipping, when the livestock is produced or grown by the owner
of the processing facility on the premises or on land leased, rented,
or owned by the owner of the processing facility and within a
reasonable distance of the facility		 C
6. Bee keeping P
7. Beef cattle or livestock grazing P
8. Berry crops P
9. Biomass energy conversion C
10. Birds, including show or racing pigeons and other small fowl P
11. Brewery C
12. Row crops P
13. Christmas trees P
14. Cold storage facility for agricultural products P
15. Contract harvesting P
16. Cotton gin C
17. Creamery C
18. Dairy ■
19. Dairy stock grazing ■
20. Farm machinery and equipment repair P
21. Fertilizer manufacture and storage for agricultural uses only C
22. Field crops, dryland P
23. Field crops, irrigated P
24. Fish and frogs P
25. Flowers and horticultural specialties, wholesale only P
26. Flour mill C
27. Fruit, vegetable, and plant products processing, including
freezing, packing, preserving, and shipping		 P
28. Glucose processing C
29. Grain elevator or storage C
30. Hogs, hog farm, or ranch ■
31. Honey extraction P
CONDITION OF USE
--- ---
32. Horses, donkeys, llamas, or mules P
33. Livestock feed lot or stock auction or sales yard for hoofed
animals		 ■
34. Oil or mineral extraction C
35. Poultry, including hatching, breeding, butchering, processing,
or shipping of chickens, ostriches, emus, turkeys, or other fowl or
poultry, including eggs		 ■
36. Rabbits or fur-bearing animals P
37. Saw or planing mill C
38. Sheep or goats farm ■
39. Tasting room, when accessory to an existing winery or
brewery		 C
40. Winery or brewery C
41. Wool pulling and scouring C
B. COMMERCIAL USES
1. Fireworks stand, subject to the provisions of Section20.11.160
of this Title		 P
2. Fruit stand, permanent P
3. Fruit stand, temporary, pursuant to this chapter P
4. Veterinary, large animal P
C. EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND SCHOOLS
1. Pre-school C
2. Elementary school C
3. Junior high school C
4. Senior high school C
5. College or university C
D. INSTITUTIONAL USES
1. Cemetery, mausoleum, columbarium, mortuary, or crematory C
2. Charitable or public service organization C
3. Church C
4. Fire or police station P
5. Government ofce or building P
CONDITION OF USE
--- ---
6. Public agency or public utility buildings and facilities P
7. Rehabilitation facilities, when operated in conjunction with a
permitted use		 C
8. Water treatment plant unless project otherwise entails a public
hearing; then permitted		 C
9. Zoo C
E. MISCELLANEOUS USES
1. Accessory buildings, including cargo containers, if incidental
and accessory to a permitted use		 C
2. Accessory structures and uses located on the same site as a
conditionally permitted use		 C
3. Day-care home, large family, pursuant to this Title C
4. Day-care home, small family P
5. Drainage sump C
6. Drainage sump, if proposed and approved as part of a
tentative subdivision or tentative parcel map		 P
7. Flood control facilities P
8. Hunting or fshing club, not involving structures C
9. Water storage or groundwater recharge facilities P
10. Wild animal keeping C
11. Wildlife or nature preserve P
F. RECREATION, ENTERTAINMENT, AND TOURIST FACILITIES
1. Equestrian establishment C
2. Golf course/driving range C
3. Guest ranch, when accessory to a commercial ranching
operation		 C
4. Lakes, private, for recreational skiing or boating C
5. Park or playground unless project otherwise entails a public
hearing; then permitted		 C
6. Racetrack or test track, automobile, bicycle, horse, or
motorcycle		 C
7. Recreational vehicle park C
CONDITION OF USE
--- ---
8. Shooting range or gun club, simulated war games, or similar
activities, outdoor only		 C
9. Trade fairs and exhibitions, temporary (14 day maximum),
excluding fea markets and swap meets (subject to provision of
20.2.120. of this Title)		 P
G. RESIDENTIAL USES
1. Farm labor housing for on-site employees C
2. Farm labor housing for contract labor C
3. Residential accessory structures C
4. Residential facility, serving six or fewer persons C
5. Single-family dwelling, occupied by the owner or full-time on-
site employee		 P
H. RESOURCE EXTRACTION AND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT USES
1. Coal-fred cogeneration facility or steam generators, primarily
intended for production of oil or gas		 C
2. Cogeneration facility or steam generators, primarily intended
for steam production used for production of oil or gas, excluding coal
fred		 C
3. Concrete or asphalt batch plant, temporary C
4. Electrical power generating plant C
5. Explosives storage, temporary C
6. Explosives storage, permanent C
7. Mineral exploration C
8. Mining and mineral extraction pursuant to provisions of this
Title		 C
9. Oil or gas exploration and production pursuant to provisions of
this Title		 P
10. Rock, gravel, sand, or soils, crushing, processing, or
distribution, when accessory to an approved mining operation		 C
11. Solar energy electrical generators with a rated capacity of no
greater than fve kilowatts for on-site consumption of the electricity		 P
12. Solar energy electrical generators, commercial or domestic,
exceeding fve kilowatts capacity		 C

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CONDITION OF USE
13. Wind-driven electrical generators for consumption of C
electricity
I. TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES
1. Airport, private (If not within an approved airport plan) C
2. Airport, public (If not within an approved airport plan) C
3. Heliport (If not within an approved airport plan) C
4. Rail, Rail Freight Classification or Switching Yard, and Rail P
Spurs
J. UTILITY AND COMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES
1. Radio, television or commercial communications transmitter, P
receiver, or translator, except as specified in this Title
2. Transmission lines and supporting towers, poles, microwave C
towers, and underground facilities for gas, water, electricity,
telephone, or telegraph service owned and operated by a public
utility company or other company under the jurisdiction of the
California Public Utilities Commission pursuant to this Title
3. Utility substation P
K. WASTE FACILITIES
1. Hazardous waste disposal facility unless project otherwise C
entails a public hearing; then permitted
2. Nonhazardous oil production and/or oily waste disposal facility C
unless project otherwise entails a public hearing; then permitted
3. Sanitary landfill unless project otherwise entails a public C
hearing; then permitted
4. Septage disposal site unless project otherwise entails a public C
hearing; then permitted
5. Sewage sludge composting unless project otherwise entails a C
public hearing; then permitted
6. Sewage treatment plant unless project otherwise entails a C
public hearing; then permitted
7. Transfer station, large and small volume unless project C
otherwise entails a public hearing; then permitted
8. Waste to energy facility unless project otherwise entails a C
public hearing; then permitted
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CONDITION OF USE

L. Other uses similar to, and no more objectionable than the uses identified above, shall be reviewed per the process required by the similar use, subject to the provisions of Section 20.1.90 of this Title

(Ord. No. 2008-1174, § 1(Exh. A), 5-5-2008)

20.7.40 - Agricultural design and development standards.

1.

Lot Area Requirements.

a.

Except when conducted as an accessory to a residential use of a nonfarm parcel, agricultural uses shall require a minimum area of twenty acres, and no farm parcel shall be subdivided from a parent tract unless it meets the minimum area requirement for agricultural uses.

b.

Farm parcels under the Williamson Act Contract and designated as Agricultural on the General Plan shall be a minimum of eighty acres in size.

c.

Parcels that are conveyed to or from a governmental agency, public entity, community or mutual water company, or public utility for public purposes shall be exempt from the minimum lot area requirements of this Chapter.

d.

Minimum lot area requirements for uses established as an accessory use to a primary agricultural use in compliance with conditions of approval of a conditional use permit shall be exempt from minimum lot area requirements.

2.

Site Development Minimum Standards.

a.

In addition to the minimum standards established in Table 7.B. of this Chapter, development within the Agricultural zone district shall also comply with the special requirements contained in this Chapter, Chapter 20.12 (Performance Standards), other applicable City standards, regulations, or ordinances, and the City General Plan.

Table 7.B

Agricultural Site Development Minimum Standards

REQUIREMENTS
1. Minimum site area 20 acres
2. Minimum site width (in feet) 400 feet
3. Minimum site depth (in feet) 800 feet
4. Front building setback (in feet) 50 feet
5. Side street building setback (in feet) 50 feet
6. Rear setback (in feet) 50 feet
7. Maximum foor area ratio 0.10
8. Maximum Building height (in feet) 50 feet

1

Structures such as silos, windmills, and communication antennas and towers may exceed height limit subject to approval by the Community Development Director.

b.

No new slaughter area, area for the storage or processing of manure, garbage, or spent mushroom compost, structures for the cultivation of mushrooms shall be permitted. The raising of livestock shall not be permitted within two hundred feet of any existing residence located on an adjacent property.

c.

There shall be a minimum of ten feet between a residential building and a nonresidential structure, except that animals, pens, coops, stables, barns, corrals, other structures for housing livestock and buildings for processing, packing, or storing agricultural produce shall be at least one hundred feet away from any residential building.

d.

There shall be a minimum of twenty feet between an on-site residential building and an aviary.

20.7.50 - Temporary fruit stands.

1.

Temporary fruit stands for the sale of agricultural, horticultural, or farming products permitted pursuant to this Title shall comply with the following standards:

a.

The floor area of the fruit stand shall not exceed four hundred square feet.

b.

The fruit stand shall not be located closer than sixty-five feet from the centerline of any public road, street, or highway right-of-way.

2.

The stand shall be erected in such a manner that it can be readily removed by means of skids or other device.

a.

The owner shall remove the stand at his/her own expense when the stand is not in use for a period of thirty days.

b.

Customer parking areas shall be treated with a dust binder in a manner to continuously prevent fugitive dust as approved by the Public Works Director.

20.7.60 - Right to farm provisions.

All uses within the Agricultural zone district shall be required to conform to the provisions of Section 20.10.270 of this Title regarding the protection of farming practices from a nuisance.