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Adams County Unincorporated
City Zoning Code

17.12 Agricultural

Districts PA-60, PA-40, GA-20

17.12.010 Purpose.

A.    Prime Agricultural (PA-60). The purpose of the PA-60 designation is to provide land for continued farming activities, conserve agricultural land, and reaffirm agricultural use, activities and operations as the primary use of the zoning district. The zoning district is composed mainly of lands with highly productive soil that is generally suited to crop agriculture, agricultural related industries, livestock maintenance, and is primarily located within existing public irrigation facilities and potential future expansion of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project.

B.    Prime Agricultural (PA-40). The purpose of the PA-40 designation is to provide land for continued farming activities, conserve agricultural land, and reaffirm agricultural use, activities and operations as the primary use of the zoning district. The zoning district is composed mainly of lands with highly productive soil that is generally suited to crop agriculture, agricultural related industries, livestock maintenance, and is primarily located outside of the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project.

C.    General Agricultural (GA-20). The purpose of the GA-20 designation will be applied to lands used primarily for irrigated row crop and orchard production, grain or feed crop production, as well as livestock grazing. This zoning district is primarily located where prime agricultural and other residential, commercial and/or industrial areas have not been identified. (Ord. O-02-25 § 1 (Exh. A); Ord. O-01-05 § 2 (part))

17.12.020 Development standards.

New lots and structures and additions to structures subject to this section shall comply with the applicable standards for lots as shown in Tables 17.12.020-1 and 17.12.020-2 subject to the provisions of Chapter 17.76.

Table 17.12.020-1 Agricultural Dimensional Standards

Zone District

Use/Activity

Minimum Lot Area (acres)

Minimum Lot Width (feet)

Minimum Lot Depth (feet)

PA-60

All Uses

60

660

None

PA-40

All Uses

40

460

None

GA-20

All Uses

20

200

None

Table 17.12.020-2. Agricultural Setbacks, Lot Coverage and Building Height 

Zoning District

Use

Minimum Setbacks1,4

Maximum Lot Coverage

 

Maximum Building Height (feet) 3

 

Front (feet) 2

 

Side (feet)

 

Rear feet)

 

Street (feet)

 

Interior (feet)

 

PA-60

Residential

300

300

300

300

1 per 60

35

Accessory

100

100

100

100

N/A

35

PA-40

Residential

150

150

150

150

1 per 40

35

Accessory

75

75

75

75

N/A

35

GA-20

Residential

60

60

60

60

1 per 20

35

Accessory

60

30

30

30

N/A

35

1.     The minimum required setbacks for residential uses on a legal or legally nonconforming lot of record, as defined under Section 17.04.030, may be reduced by the administrator subject to the following:

a.     Adequate proof of a hardship is provided to the administrator; and

b.     A reduction shall be kept to the minimum amount needed and shall in no case be less than the minimum setbacks specified above for shop buildings, barns and/or home storage facilities and nonresidential structures.

2.     From public road right-of-way or private road easement.

3.     Residential buildings only.

4.     Special setbacks may apply to all lots neighboring an agricultural district (See Chapter 17.42).

(Ord. O-02-25 § 1 (Exh. A); Ord. O-01-07 § 5; Ord. O-01-05 § 2 (part). Formerly 17.12.030)

17.12.030 Agricultural districts use chart.

The uses set out in Table 17.12.030-1 are examples of uses allowable in agricultural zones. The appropriate review authority is mandatory.

• “P”—Uses allowed subject to approval of applicable permits.

• “R/A”—Uses permitted upon administrative review and approval as set forth in Section 17.85.020 or as otherwise noted in this title.

• “C”—Conditional uses which may be permitted subject to the approval of a conditional use permit as set forth in Section 17.85.030.

• “X”—Or uses not listed are specifically prohibited.

Where there are special use standards or restrictions for a listed use, the applicable code section(s) in Chapter 17.69, Special Uses and Standards, or other applicable chapter is noted in the “Special Standards” column.

Table 17.12.030-1 Agricultural Districts Use Chart 

 

PA-60

 

PA-40

 

GA-20

 

Special Standards

 

1. Residential.

 

 

 

 

a. Single-family dwellings and accessory buildings

P1

P1

P1

 

b. Accessory dwelling unit (ADU)

 

P

P

P

17.69.020

c. Accessory buildings

 

P

P

P

17.69.010

d. Family day care centers

 

R/A

R/A

R/A

17.69.220

e. Adult family homes (if homeowner occupied)

 

R/A

R/A

R/A

17.69.230

f. Home business, exempt

 

P

P

P

17.69.200

g. Home business, minor

 

P

P

P

17.69.200

h. Home business, major

 

R/A

R/A

R/A

17.69.200

i. Bed and breakfast establishments (up to two guest bedrooms)

 

R/A

R/A

R/A

17.69.070

j. Bed and breakfast establishments (three or more guest bedrooms)

 

C

C

C

17.69.070

k. Caretaker residence

 

X

X

X

17.69.060

2. Services, business.

 

 

 

 

 

a. Commercial nurseries predominantly marketing locally produced plants and associated landscaping materials

 

P

P

P

 

b. Roadside farm stand

 

P

P

P

17.69.110

c. Agricultural market

 

P

P

P

17.69.110

d. Commercial kennels on a parcel or parcels five acres or more

 

R/A

R/A

R/A

17.69.170

e. Hobby kennels

P

P

P

17.69.170

f. Animal boarding and day use facilities

P

P

P

17.69.170

g. Animal hospital, clinic or veterinary, large (livestock and other farm animals, and domestic)

R/A

R/A

R/A

17.69.180

h. Animal hospital, clinic or veterinary, small (domestic pets only)

X

X

X

17.69.180

i. Food trucks in areas associated with existing business or industry

P

P

P

17.69.310

j. Auto towing, secured

X

X

X

 

k. Convenience stores and fuel sales

X

X

X

 

l. Mini Storage

X

X

X

 

3. Services, amusement.

 

 

 

 

a. Public interpretive/educational uses

P

P

P

 

b. Dispersed recreation and recreational facilities such as primitive campsites, trails, trailheads

P

P

P

 

c. Public recreation accessways, trails, viewpoints, and associated parking

P

P

P

 

d. Private recreation facilities, including retreats, but excluding such intensive uses as campgrounds, country clubs and golf courses

C

C

C

 

e. Country club and golf courses

X

X

X

 

f. Equestrian facility

R/A

R/A

R/A

17.69.150

g. Circuses, carnivals or amusement rides

X

X

X

 

h. Gun range

C

C

C

 

i. Hunting club/lodge

C

C

C

 

j. Recreational vehicle park or tent campground

X

C

C

17.69.250

k. Rodeo grounds

X

X

C

 

4. Services, general.

 

 

 

 

a. Event facilities < five thousand sq. ft.

X

X

X

 

b. Tasting room and event facilities in conjunction with a winery

P

P

P

 

c. Microbrewery/winery

C

C

C

 

d. Parking lots—Trucks

X

X

X

 

e. Accessory special event center, minor

P

P

P

17.69.330

f. Accessory special event center, major

C

C

C

17.69.330

5. Services, membership organization.

 

 

 

 

a. Churches or places of worship

C

C

C

17.69.090

6. Services, educational.

 

 

 

 

a. Public and private elementary and middle schools

X

X

X

 

7. Public service and facilities.

 

 

 

 

a. EMS dispatch facilities

C

C

C

 

b. Government facilities

C2

C2

C2

 

c. Public corrections facilities

X

X

X

 

d. Commercial wind energy facilities

C

C

C

17.70

e. Wireless communication facilities

R/A

R/A

R/A

17.74

f. Solar energy facilities large scale

C

C

C

17.72

g. Solar energy facilities small scale

R/A

R/A

R/A

17.72

8. Resource activities.

 

 

 

 

a. Agricultural

P3

P3

P3

 

b. Mineral exploration for rock, gravel, oil, gas, mineral and geothermal resources

P

P

P

17.69.280

c. Mineral extraction, crushing, screening, etc., in accordance with all applicable local, state and federal regulations

C

C

C

17.69.280

d. Agricultural related industry

P

P

P

 

e. Accessory buildings

P

P

P

17.69.010

f. Farm worker housing for seasonal workers

P

P

P

17.69.050

g. Animal feeding operations (AFOs) and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) including dairies, feed yards, sales yards

C

C

C

17.69.120

h. Game fowl raising operations

C

C

C

17.69.140

9. Other.

 

 

 

 

a. Utilities, structures and uses including but not limited to utility substations, pump stations, wells, watershed intake facilities, gas and water transmission lines

P/C

P/C

P/C

 

b. Solid waste handling and disposal sites

C

C

C

17.69.260

c. Private use landing strips and heliports for aircraft

C

C

C

17.69.240

d. New cemeteries and mausoleums, crematoria, columbaria, and mortuaries within cemeteries

X

X

X

 

e. Expansion of existing cemeteries

P

P

P

 

f. Electric vehicle infrastructure

P

P

P

17.60

g. Medical cannabis cooperative

X

X

X

17.60

h. Cannabis production facilities

P

P

P

17.60

i. Cannabis processor 1 facilities

P

P

P

17.60

j. Cannabis processor 2 facilities

C

C

C

17.60

k. Cannabis retailer facilities

X

X

X

17.60

l. Aerospace product and parts manufacturing facilities

C4,5

C4,5

C4,5

17.69.300

1.     One single-family dwelling on legal lot or legal nonconforming lot of record.

2.     Government facilities necessary to serve the unincorporated areas of Adams County, including fire stations, ambulance dispatch facilities and storage yards, warehouses, or similar uses.

3.     Agriculture including: floriculture, horticulture, general farming, dairy, the raising, feeding and sale or production of poultry, livestock, furbearing animals, honeybees, animal sales yards, nursery stock and floral vegetation and other agricultural activities and structures accessory to farming or animal husbandry.

4.     Federal contract required.

5.     Not permitted in agriculture zones with a current Washington State water right or U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) water right for agricultural irrigation use as of the date of the ordinance codified in this title and including water rights as identified in this section which are newly established hereafter.

(Ord. O-02-25 § 1 (Exh. A))

 

PA-60

 

PA-40

 

GA-20

 

Special Standards