Article 02 — In General.

This chapter is adopted to promote and protect the public health, safety, peace, comfort, convenience and general welfare. It is also adopted for the following specified purposes:

(a)

To provide for the orderly and beneficial land use of the county;

(b)

To protect the character and social and economic stability of agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial and other communities within the county;

(c)

To protect the public safety and welfare by regulating the location and uses of all structures and land;

(d)

To protect and conserve the scenic, recreational and natural resource characteristics of the county;

(Ord. No. 2392, § 4)

(e)

To provide for the orderly and timely processing of development projects as anticipated by the California Permit Streamlining Act. Development projects do not include rezonings, plan amendments or other applications accompanied by a request for a rezoning or plan amendment.

(Ord. No. 4643, 1993.)

(a)

The zoning ordinance establishes various districts within the unincorporated territory of the county and designates lawful permitted uses, and uses which may be approved through the use permit process. Within these districts (1) it is unlawful to erect, construct, alter or maintain certain buildings or to carry on certain trades or occupations or to conduct certain uses of land or buildings, (2) the height and bulk of future buildings shall be limited, and (3) certain open areas shall be required around future buildings. The various districts also consist of appropriate regulations to be enforced in such district, all as set forth in this chapter.

(b)

In conformance with the open space and public safety elements of the general plan, the county of Sonoma declares that the following articles of this chapter constitute its open space zoning pursuant to Government Code Section 65910:

Article 56 F1 Floodway Combining District

Article 58 F2 Floodplain Combining District

Article 78 B Districts