Division I — AGRICULTURAL, RESOURCE AND OPEN SPACE DISTRICTS
Article 17.08 — Agriculture Exclusive (AE) District
Placer County Zoning Code · 2026-06 edition · ingested 2026-07-06 · Placer County
17.08.010. Agricultural exclusive (AE). ¶
A. Purpose and Intent. The purpose of the agricultural exclusive (AE) district is to provide for the preservation and protection of important agricultural lands that are being used for the commercial production of agricultural commodities, and that constitute economic units. For the purposes of this section, an economic unit shall mean land that is capable of sustaining agricultural operations under normal management by generating agricultural income sufficient to cover all expenses, and that is large enough to make efficient use of all required labor and equipment. It is intended that the AE district shall:
Restrict the use of land within the AE district to crop production, the raising of livestock, poultry and other animals, and to incidental uses that are customarily and necessarily related to agricultural operations, and incidental nonagricultural uses that are necessary for the health, safety, welfare and convenience of residents living and working in rural agricultural areas.
Prohibit land uses that are incompatible with commercial agricultural operations, including, but not limited to, certain residential, commercial, industrial and recreational uses.
Once applied to a specific property, not be changed to another zoning classification unless the Board of Supervisors determines that such a change would not adversely affect the continuation of commercial agricultural operations on adjoining parcels and in the site vicinity.
B. Allowable Land Uses and Permit Requirements. The following land uses are allowed in the AE zone as provided by Section 17.06.050 (Land use and permit tables), subject to the land use permit shown for each use, any applicable specific standards, and all other applicable provisions of this chapter.
| ALLOWABLE LAND USES | LAND USE PERMIT | SPECIFIC STANDARDS IN SECTION: |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural, Resource and Open Space Uses | ||
| Agricultural accessory structures | C | 17.56.020(B) |
| Agricultural processing | MUP | |
| Animal raising and keeping | See Section17.56.050 | |
| Animal sales yards, feed lots, stockyards | CUP | |
| Chicken, turkey and hog ranches | CUP | |
| Crop production | A | |
| Equestrian facilities | A | 17.56.050 |
| Fisheries and game preserves | A | |
| Forestry | A | |
| Grazing | A | 17.04.030 |
| Mining, surface and subsurface | CUP | 17.56.270 |
| Oil and gas wells | CUP | |
| Plant nurseries, retail | MUP | |
| Plant production nurseries | See Section17.56.165 | |
| Water extraction and storage (commercial) | CUP | |
| Winery | See Section17.56.330 | |
| Manufacturing Uses | ||
| Explosives, manufacturing and storage | CUP | 17.56.110 |
| Food products | CUP | |
| Slaughterhouses and rendering plants | CUP | |
| Recreation, Education and Public Assembly Uses | ||
| Rural recreation | MUP | |
| Shooting ranges, (commercial) | MUP | |
| Temporary events | MUP | 17.56.300 |
| Residential Uses | ||
| Accessory and junior accessory dwelling units | C | 17.56.200 |
| Caretaker and employee housing | C | 17.56.090 |
| Farmworker dwelling unit | A | 17.56.095 |
| Farmworker housing complex | A | 17.56.095 |
| Home occupations | C | 17.56.120 |
| Mobile homes | C | 17.56.150 |
| Residential accessory uses | C | 17.56.180 |
| Single-family dwellings | C | 17.56.230 |
| Temporary dwelling | C | 17.56.280 |
| Retail Trade | ||
| Outdoor retail sales | See Section17.56.160 | |
| Roadside stands for agricultural products | C | 17.56.160 |
| Service Uses | ||
| ALLOWABLE LAND USES | LAND USE PERMIT | SPECIFIC STANDARDS IN SECTION: |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Offces, temporary | C | 17.56.300 |
| Public utility facilities | MUP | |
| Storage, accessory | A | 17.56.250 |
| Storage of petroleum products, on-site use | C | 17.56.250 |
| Transportation and Communications | ||
| Airfelds and landing strips | CUP | 17.56.040 |
| Antennas, communication facilities | See Section17.56.160 | |
| Pipelines and transmission lines | A | |
| KEY TO PERMIT REQUIREMENTS | ||
| --- | --- | |
| Allowed use, zoning compliance required (17.06.050) | A | |
| Zoning clearance required (17.06.050) | C | |
| Minor use permit required (17.06.050) | MUP | |
| Conditional use permit required (17.06.050) | CUP | |
| Administrative review permit (17.06.050) | ARP |
C. Minimum Parcel Size. Each parcel proposed for development or a new land use, and each new parcel proposed in a subdivision shall comply with the following provisions and Section 17.54.040 (Minimum parcel size). New parcels proposed in a subdivision shall also satisfy all applicable provisions of Chapter 16 of this code (Subdivisions).
Minimum Lot Area. Twenty acres, unless a -B combining district (Section 17.52.040 ) applies to the site, or a greater area is required by the health department or the provisions of Article 17.56 (Specific Use Requirements) for a particular land use.
Minimum Lot Width. Two hundred feet.
D. Residential Density. The maximum density for single-family dwellings in the AE zone shall be one unit per parcel of the minimum lot area required by subsection C of this section (Minimum Parcel Size), except where additional units are approved pursuant to Sections 17.56.230 (Single-family dwellings, density), or 17.56.200 (Secondary dwellings).
E. Site Development Standards. The following requirements shall apply to all new development in the AE zone, except where otherwise provided by Articles 17.54 (General Development Standards) or 17.56 (Specific Use Requirements) for a particular use or situation. Proposed buildings and structures shall be designed and constructed to satisfy the following setback, site coverage, and height limit requirements:
| Development feature | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Setbacks (1) (2) (4) | |
| Front | 50 feet minimum |
| Street-side | 30 feet minimum |
| Side | 30 feet minimum |
| Rear | 30 feet minimum |
| Site coverage (3) | 10 percent maximum |
| Height limit (4) | 36 feet maximum |
Notes:
(1) Additional requirements for setbacks from watercourses and all roads identified in the highway deficiency report and countywide capital improvement program, setbacks between structures on the same site, and setbacks in other situations are established by Section 17.54.140 (Exceptions to front, street-side, side and rear setbacks) and by Article 17.56 for certain specific land uses.
(2) As required by the California Board of Forestry Fire Safe regulations, Section 1276.01 , Title 14, California Code of Regulations, if lot size is one acre or larger.
(3) The percentage of total site area that may be covered by buildings or structures.
(4) Except as otherwise provided by Section 17.54.020 (Height limits and exceptions), or by Article 17.56 for a specific use.
(Ord. 5126-B, 2001; Ord. 5304-B Exh. 1, 2004; Ord. 5459-B Exh. A, 2007; Ord. 5526-B § 3, 2008; Ord. 5692-B § 3, 2012; Ord. 6022-B § 3, 2020; Ord. 6048-B § 5, 2020; Ord. 6144-B § 3, 2022)