Division IV — RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS
Article 17.44 — Residential Agricultural (RA) District
Placer County Zoning Code · 2026-06 edition · ingested 2026-07-06 · Placer County
17.44.010. Residential-agricultural (RA). ¶
A. Purpose and Intent. The purpose of the residential-agricultural (RA) zone district is to stabilize and protect the rural residential characteristics of the area to which it is applied and to promote and encourage a suitable environment for family life, including agricultural uses.
B. Allowable Land Uses, Permit Requirements and Minimum Lot Area. The following land uses are allowed in the RA zone as provided by Section 17.06.050 (Land use and permit tables), subject to the land use permit and minimum lot area shown for each use, any applicable specific standards, and all other applicable provisions of this chapter.
| ALLOWABLE LAND USES | LAND USE PERMIT | MINIMUM LOT AREA (sq. ft.) (1) |
SPECIFIC STANDARDS IN SECTION: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural, Resource and Open Space Uses | |||
| Agricultural accessory structures | C | 40,000 | 17.56.020(B) |
| Agricultural processing | MUP | ||
| Animal raising and keeping | See Section17.56.050 | ||
| Crop production | A | 40,000 | |
| Equestrian facilities | See Section17.56.050 | ||
| Fisheries and game preserves | A | 40,000 | |
| Forestry | A | 40,000 | |
| Grazing | A | 10 acres | 17.04.030 |
| Mining, surface and subsurface | CUP | 40,000 | 17.56.270 |
| Plant production nurseries | See Section17.56.165 | ||
| Water extraction and storage (commercial) | CUP | 40,000 | |
| Winery | See Section17.56.330 | ||
| Manufacturing and Processing Uses | |||
| Electric generating plants | CUP | 40,000 | |
| Recreation, Education and Public Assembly Uses |
|||
| Community center | CUP | 17.56.340 | |
| Small agricultural event center | CUP | 17.56.340 | |
| Intermediate agricultural event center | CUP | 17.56.340 | |
| Large agricultural event center | CUP | 17.56.340 | |
| Houses of worship | MUP | 40,000 | |
| Libraries and museums | MUP | 40,000 | |
| Membership organization facilities | MUP | 40,000 | |
| Parks, playgrounds, golf courses | MUP | 40,000 | |
| Recycling; reverse vending machines and small collection facilities |
ARP | 17.56.170 | |
| Schools - Elementary | MUP | 40,000 | |
| Schools - Secondary | MUP | 40,000 | |
| Schools**-**Specialized (2) |
MUP | 40.000 | |
| Temporary events | MUP | 17.56.300 | |
| Residential Uses | |||
| Accessory and junior accessory dwelling units | C | 0 | 17.56.200 |
| Cluster lot development - Agriculture, conservation, open space |
CUP | 20 acres | 17.54.115 |
| Farmworker dwelling unit | A | 2.3 acres | 17.56.095 |
| Farmworker housing complex | A | 2.3 acres | 17.56.095 |
| Home occupations | C | 40,000 | 17.56.120 |
| Mobile homes | C | 40,000 | 17.56.150 |
| Residential accessory uses | C | 40,000 | 17.56.180 |
| Residential care homes, 6 or fewer clients | C | 40,000 | |
| Residential care homes, 7 or more clients | MUP | 40,000 | |
| Single-family dwellings | C | 40,000 | 17.56.230 |
| Temporary dwelling | C | 40,000 | 17.56.280 |
| Retail Trade | |||
| Roadside stands for agricultural products | C | 40,000 | 17.56.160 |
| Service Uses | |||
| Cemeteries, columbariums and mortuaries | CUP | 40,000 | |
| ALLOWABLE LAND USES | LAND USE PERMIT | MINIMUM LOT AREA (sq. ft.) (1) |
SPECIFIC STANDARDS IN SECTION: |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Child/adult day care, centers | MUP | 40,000 | |
| Child day care, family care homes | C | 40,000 | |
| Kennels and animal boarding | MUP | 40,000 | |
| Medical services - Clinics and laboratories (3) |
CUP | ||
| Medical services - Hospitals and extended care | CUP | 40,000 | |
| Medical services - Veterinary clinics and hospitals |
MUP | 40,000 | |
| Offces, temporary | MUP | 40,000 | 17.56.300 |
| Public safety facilities | MUP | 10,000 | |
| Public utility facilities | MUP | 10,000 | |
| Storage, accessory | A | 40,000 | 17.56.250 |
| Storage of petroleum products for on-site use | C | 10 acres | 15.04.040 |
| Transient Lodging | |||
| Bed and breakfast lodging | MUP | 40,000 | |
| Transportation and Communications | |||
| Antennas, communications facilities | 17.56.060 | 2,000 | 17.56.060 |
| Heliports | CUP | 10 acres | 17.56.040 |
| Pipelines and transmission lines | A |
Notes:
(1) Minimum lot area requirements apply only to newly-created parcels. Uses which are listed as permitted may be allowed on existing legal, non-conforming parcels which do not conform to the minimum lot size requirement if all other appropriate development standards (e.g., parking, setbacks, etc.) are met.
(2) Specialized training and education schools shall not exceed an occupancy of 30 persons (staff and students). Specialized schools within the RA zone district does not permit manual trade schools such as vehicle repair, welding, metal fabrication, etc.
(3) Permitted only where the parcel on which the proposed use would be located is adjacent to commercially zoned property and is adjacent to a major arterial roadway.
KEY TO PERMIT REQUIREMENTS
| KEY TO PERMIT REQUIREMENTS | 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. As shown in subsection B of this section.
Minimum Lot Width. One hundred thirty-five feet. Other minimum lot widths may be required by a -B combining district (Section 17.52.040 ) applicable to the site.
D. Residential Density. The maximum density for single-family dwellings in the RA 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 Section 17.56.230 (Single-family dwellings, density), or 17.56.200 (Accessory and junior accessory dwelling units).
E. Site Development Standards. The following requirements shall apply to all new development in the RA zone, except where otherwise provided by Article 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) | |
| Front | 50 feet minimum |
| Street-side | 30 feet minimum |
| Side | 30 feet minimum |
| Rear | 30 feet minimum |
| Site coverage (3) | 35 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.
(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. 5339-B Exh. A, 2004; Ord. 5459-B Exh. A, 2007; Ord. 5471-B Exh. A, 2007; Ord. 5526-B § 16, 2008; Ord. 5692-B § 7, 2012; Ord. 5746-B § 11, 2014; Ord. 6022-B § 10, 2020; Ord. 6048-B § 22, 2020; Ord. 6144-B § 13, 2022)