Part 18 — EM-A-2—Interim Agricultural District
Watsonville Zoning Code · 2026-06 edition · ingested 2026-07-07 · Watsonville
14-16.1800 Purpose. ¶
The purpose of the Interim Agricultural District is to preserve land in interim agricultural use and protect against premature urban development, which are presently unneeded, and for which it may be uneconomic to provide urban services.
14-16.1801 Principal permitted uses. ¶
All principal permitted and accessory uses shall be subject to the approval of an Administrative Review Permit issued without a public hearing by the Zoning Administrator.
| 115 | Barns, stables |
|---|---|
| 1982 | Fruit packing, drying, and storage sheds |
| 9130 | Greenhouses of 500 square feet or less |
| 846 | Aviaries and apiaries |
| 94 | Domesticated wild animals, i.e., bison, etc. |
| Home occupation | |
| 6915 | Offices incidental and necessary to conduct a permitted use |
| 5499 | Stands limited to the display and sales of agricultural commodities produced on the premises. Stands shall not exceed 1,000 square feet of gross floor area and shall be set back twenty (20') feet from all street or lot lines |
| 152 | Storage tanks and pumps for fuel |
| 01 | One-family dwelling of the owner or lessee of the land or any employee or an employee of the owner or lessee of the land upon which the use or permitted use is carried on |
| 07 | Foster home |
| 724 | Pre-school day care for less than six (6) children |
| 8611 | Facilities for fish and wildlife enhancement and preservation |
| 872 | Pool, swimming, nonprofit |
| 05 | Farmworker dwelling unit |
(Ord. 506-80 C-M, eff. September 11, 1980, as amended by § 2(3) (Exh. A), Ord. 1481-25 (CM), eff. October 9, 2025)
(Ord. 506-80 C-M, eff. September 11, 1980)
798-11
(Watsonville Supp. No. xx, 10-25)
14-16.1802
|14-16.1802
Conditional uses.
The following uses shall be subject to the
approval of a Special Use Permit issued through the
public hearing process by the Commission:
Minimum
Required
Acreage
DLU
9130
Agriculture within structures,
e.g., nurseries, mushrooms
(over 500 square feet)
2
081
Temporary (not more than three
(3) years) use of a mobile home
or travel trailer for caretaker or
watchman in isolated areas
5
01
Servants’ quarters
1
59161
Commercial feed lot
1
05
Farmworker housing
10
01
Caretaker’s quarters
(permanent structure)
1
473
Flood control works, including
channel rectification and
alteration, streets, highways,
dams, canals, and aqueducts of
any public water project
724
Pre-school day care for (6) six
or more children
197
Kennels
2
05
Labor camp
10
242
Lumber mill
20
1244
Poultry and other Fowl in
excess of 100 acres
2 1/2
4
Public utility facilities,
structures, and uses
-
855
Riding academies, public
stables, guest ranch
2
9425
Small animals in excess of 100
acres (e.g., rabbits, hamsters,
guinea pigs, chinchilla, mink)
2 1/2
197
Small animal hospital
1/2
197
Veterinary office
1/2
843
Zoo and natural science
museum
2 1/2
20
Processing of products
produced on the premises
5
85
Outdoor recreation areas, uses,
and facilities, including country
clubs, swimming pools, and
golf courses
90
Mines, quarries, and gravel pits|14-16.1802
Conditional uses.
The following uses shall be subject to the
approval of a Special Use Permit issued through the
public hearing process by the Commission:
Minimum
Required
Acreage
DLU
9130
Agriculture within structures,
e.g., nurseries, mushrooms
(over 500 square feet)
2
081
Temporary (not more than three
(3) years) use of a mobile home
or travel trailer for caretaker or
watchman in isolated areas
5
01
Servants’ quarters
1
59161
Commercial feed lot
1
05
Farmworker housing
10
01
Caretaker’s quarters
(permanent structure)
1
473
Flood control works, including
channel rectification and
alteration, streets, highways,
dams, canals, and aqueducts of
any public water project
724
Pre-school day care for (6) six
or more children
197
Kennels
2
05
Labor camp
10
242
Lumber mill
20
1244
Poultry and other Fowl in
excess of 100 acres
2 1/2
4
Public utility facilities,
structures, and uses
-
855
Riding academies, public
stables, guest ranch
2
9425
Small animals in excess of 100
acres (e.g., rabbits, hamsters,
guinea pigs, chinchilla, mink)
2 1/2
197
Small animal hospital
1/2
197
Veterinary office
1/2
843
Zoo and natural science
museum
2 1/2
20
Processing of products
produced on the premises
5
85
Outdoor recreation areas, uses,
and facilities, including country
clubs, swimming pools, and
golf courses
90
Mines, quarries, and gravel pits|14-16.1802
Conditional uses.
The following uses shall be subject to the
approval of a Special Use Permit issued through the
public hearing process by the Commission:
Minimum
Required
Acreage
DLU
9130
Agriculture within structures,
e.g., nurseries, mushrooms
(over 500 square feet)
2
081
Temporary (not more than three
(3) years) use of a mobile home
or travel trailer for caretaker or
watchman in isolated areas
5
01
Servants’ quarters
1
59161
Commercial feed lot
1
05
Farmworker housing
10
01
Caretaker’s quarters
(permanent structure)
1
473
Flood control works, including
channel rectification and
alteration, streets, highways,
dams, canals, and aqueducts of
any public water project
724
Pre-school day care for (6) six
or more children
197
Kennels
2
05
Labor camp
10
242
Lumber mill
20
1244
Poultry and other Fowl in
excess of 100 acres
2 1/2
4
Public utility facilities,
structures, and uses
-
855
Riding academies, public
stables, guest ranch
2
9425
Small animals in excess of 100
acres (e.g., rabbits, hamsters,
guinea pigs, chinchilla, mink)
2 1/2
197
Small animal hospital
1/2
197
Veterinary office
1/2
843
Zoo and natural science
museum
2 1/2
20
Processing of products
produced on the premises
5
85
Outdoor recreation areas, uses,
and facilities, including country
clubs, swimming pools, and
golf courses
90
Mines, quarries, and gravel pits|14-16.1802
Conditional uses.
The following uses shall be subject to the
approval of a Special Use Permit issued through the
public hearing process by the Commission:
Minimum
Required
Acreage
DLU
9130
Agriculture within structures,
e.g., nurseries, mushrooms
(over 500 square feet)
2
081
Temporary (not more than three
(3) years) use of a mobile home
or travel trailer for caretaker or
watchman in isolated areas
5
01
Servants’ quarters
1
59161
Commercial feed lot
1
05
Farmworker housing
10
01
Caretaker’s quarters
(permanent structure)
1
473
Flood control works, including
channel rectification and
alteration, streets, highways,
dams, canals, and aqueducts of
any public water project
724
Pre-school day care for (6) six
or more children
197
Kennels
2
05
Labor camp
10
242
Lumber mill
20
1244
Poultry and other Fowl in
excess of 100 acres
2 1/2
4
Public utility facilities,
structures, and uses
-
855
Riding academies, public
stables, guest ranch
2
9425
Small animals in excess of 100
acres (e.g., rabbits, hamsters,
guinea pigs, chinchilla, mink)
2 1/2
197
Small animal hospital
1/2
197
Veterinary office
1/2
843
Zoo and natural science
museum
2 1/2
20
Processing of products
produced on the premises
5
85
Outdoor recreation areas, uses,
and facilities, including country
clubs, swimming pools, and
golf courses
90
Mines, quarries, and gravel pits|||||||Minimum
Required
Acreage|
1/2
197
Small animal hospital
1/2
197
Veterinary office
1/2
843
Zoo and natural science
museum
2 1/2
20
Processing of products
produced on the premises
5
85
Outdoor recreation areas, uses,
and facilities, including country
clubs, swimming pools, and
golf courses
90
Mines, quarries, and gravel pits|||||||Minimum
Required
Acreage|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||||4582||Private airports and landing
strips||||
||||||7||Public and quasi-public
buildings or structures and uses
of an administrative, cultural,
or public service type||||
||||Minimum
Required
Acreage||||||||
|DLU|9130|Agriculture within structures,
e.g., nurseries, mushrooms
(over 500 square feet)|2||||||||
|||||(Ord. 506-80 C-M, eff. September 11, 1980, as
amended by § 2(3) (Exh. A), Ord. 1481-25 (CM),
eff. October 9, 2025)
14-16.1803
District regulations.
The following regulations shall be observed in the
Interim Agricultural District for the use proposed,
except as otherwise provided in this title or as modi-
fied by Conditional Use Permit:
Height Regulations: No structure shall exceed
thirty-five (35') feet in height.|||||||
||081|Temporary (not more than three
(3) years) use of a mobile home
or travel trailer for caretaker or
watchman in isolated areas|5||||||||
||01|Servants’ quarters|1||||||||
||59161|Commercial feed lot|1||||||||
||05|Farmworker housing|10||||||||
||01|Caretaker’s quarters
(permanent structure)|1||||||||
||473|Flood control works, including
channel rectification and
alteration, streets, highways,
dams, canals, and aqueducts of
any public water project|||||||||
|||||Site and
Building
Requirements||Each S.F.D.U.||Accessory
Buildings|Site||
||724|Pre-school day care for (6) six
or more children|||||||||
|||||Lot Area,
Minimum||1 Acre||-|5 Acres, unless
exception
granted||
||197|Kennels|2||||||||
||05|Labor camp|10||||||||
|||||Lot Width,
Minimum||-||-|330 feet,
unless
exception
granted||
||242|Lumber mill|20||||||||
||1244|Poultry and other Fowl in
excess of 100 acres|2 1/2||||||||
||4|Public utility facilities,
structures, and uses|-|Distance to
any street||20 feet||20 feet|-||
||855|Riding academies, public
stables, guest ranch|2|Distance
between
structures||As allowed by
Uniform
Building Code||As allowed by
Uniform
Building Code|-||
||9425|Small animals in excess of 100
acres (e.g., rabbits, hamsters,
guinea pigs, chinchilla, mink)|2 1/2||||||||
|||||Front Yard||20 feet||20 feet|-||
|||||Interior Side
Yard||5 feet||5 feet|-||
||197|Small animal hospital|1/2||||||||
||197|Veterinary office|1/2|Rear Yard||20 feet||See Note|||
||843|Zoo and natural science
museum|2 1/2|
Note: Accessory buildings shall not occupy more than fifty (50%)
percent of the area of the required yard.
(Ord. 506-80 C-M, eff. September 11, 1980, as
amended by § 2(3) (Exh. A), Ord. 1481-25 (CM),
eff. October 9, 2025)|||||||
||20|Processing of products
produced on the premises|5||||||||
||85|Outdoor recreation areas, uses,
and facilities, including country
clubs, swimming pools, and
golf courses|||||||||
||90|Mines, quarries, and gravel pits|||||||||
798-12
(Watsonville Supp. No. xx, 10-25)
14-16.1900