This district is primarily established for the preservation of the best agricultural lands for the production of food and fiber. More specifically, this district's purpose is one of facilitating existing and future farming operations, conservation of water and other natural resources, reducing soil erosion, protecting watersheds, and reducing hazards from flood and fire. Essentially, the Agricultural District will cover a large portion of the non-urbanized sections of the County and will be effected in those areas occupied by various open uses, such as forests, farms, parks, lakes, and mountains, as well as low density residential uses. Uses not consistent with the existing character of this district shall not be permitted.

In the Agricultural District, structures to be erected or land to be used shall be for one (1) or more of the following uses:

1.

Accessory uses and structures shall not include manufactured or mobile homes, including the storage of unused manufactured or mobile homes. No accessory building may be closer than three (3) feet to any property line.

2.

Churches, schools, colleges, libraries, parks, playgrounds and athletic fields.

3.

Class A and Class B home occupations.

4.

Facilities and structures necessary for the rendering of public utility service, including booster or relay stations, transformer substations, poles, transmission lines and towers, and the like for normal electrical distribution or communication service. Pipelines, conduits, meters, and other facilities for the provision and maintenance of public electrical, gas, water and sewer service, railroads and their facilities (except railroad yards).

5.

General farming—agricultural, dairying and forestry.

6.

Individual mobile homes and/or manufactured homes.

7.

Nonintensive farming activities, including the tilling of soil, the raising of crops, horticulture, gardening, greenhouses, and nurseries.

8.

Preserves and conservation areas.

9.

Private and family cemeteries.

10.

Sawmills and forestry operations.

11.

Seasonal wayside stands located on producer's property.

12.

Single-family dwellings.

13.

Small boat docks.

13.5.

Small scale solar energy facilities.

14.

Temporary uses.

15.

Two-family attached dwellings and duplexes.

16.

Waste collection and recycling centers.

(Ord. of 6-24-03, § 2; Amend. of 7-25-06; Ord. of 3-24-20)

The uses permitted in the Agricultural District with a special use permit as approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals are as follows:

1.

Antique shops.

2.

Cabins, cabin groupings, camps for seasonal occupancy, including temporary campsites, campgrounds, parks and day camp facilities.

3.

Clubs, fraternities, hunting clubs and lodges and meeting places for other organizations not including any use customarily conducted as a gainful business.

4.

Commercial stables and kennels located more than five hundred (500) feet from dwelling units on adjacent property.

5.

Commercial and pet cemeteries, including funeral homes and mortuaries.

6.

Country clubs and other public and private noncommercial recreational areas and facilities such as golf courses and swimming pools.

7.

Firearm sports and training facilities, including firing ranges, pistol ranges, sporting clays, trap and skeet shooting ranges, turkey shoots, archery ranges and other for profit or not for profit uses and activities involving discharge of firearms or shooting of missiles. However, nothing in this provision shall be construed to affect any individual's right to hunt on his property or prohibit nonprofit hunting activities.

8.

Group homes and child welfare homes.

9.

Homeless shelters or transitional living facilities, community correctional facilities, and halfway houses.

10.

Landfills.

10.5.

Large scale solar energy facilities.

11.

Livestock markets.

12.

Meat cutting, packaging, and processing.

13.

Nursery schools, day care facilities, and family day care homes.

14.

Outdoor music festivals.

15.

Prisons or prison farms.

16.

Racetracks.

17.

Radio stations and towers higher than the height limit imposed by this article.

18.

Rest homes.

19.

Restaurants with no drive-in window facilities in which less than two thousand (2,000) square feet is used for business purposes including dining, preparation, storage, office and waiting areas but not including parking areas.

20.

Retail sales establishments whose total area for display, storage, and other business purposes is contained within the walls of a building which is less than two thousand (2,000) square feet in area and not involving the sale of gasoline or similar petroleum products.

21.

Promotional, amusement, and entertainment facilities, sponsored by any licensed business or businesses or nonprofit organizations and are located on the property owned or controlled by the sponsor. Such uses shall be properly safeguarded from traffic and shall observe all setbacks required for structures. Temporary, promotional, recreational, or fundraising amusement activities and facilities of not more than three (3) days' duration sponsored by civic, professional, fraternal, institutional or religious groups or organizations, and conducted for community, religious or benevolent purposes and located on property owned or controlled by the sponsor shall be exempted from this section. Examples of such amusement facilities and activities are musical entertainment, jamborees, educational displays, arts and crafts, auctions, legal games, dunking booths, concessions and vending. Rides are permitted. Tent revivals or other similar outdoor religious services of not more than seven (7) days' duration shall also be exempted from this section.

(Ord. of 8-24-98; Amend. of 6-28-11; Ord. of 3-24-20)

A.

The minimum required lot area for permitted uses shall be one acre.

B.

For permitted uses utilizing an individual water or sewage disposal system, the required area for any such use shall be approved by the Health Official. The Administrator may require a greater area if considered necessary by the Health Official.

C.

Any lot of record as of the effective date of this section which has less area than the minimum requirement of this section may be used for a single detached residential unit as would otherwise be permitted by this article. All setback and yard regulations shall apply.

The front setback line shall be located thirty-five (35) feet from any street right-of-way which is fifty (50) feet or greater in width or sixty (60) feet from the centerline of any street right-of-way less than fifty (50) feet in width. This shall be known as the "setback line." No structure shall be constructed or placed closer to the front property line than the setback line.

(Ord. of 1-27-97)

The minimum lot width for permitted uses shall be a width of one hundred (100) feet at the setback line.

A.

Side. Each lot shall have two (2) side yards for each main structure. The minimum side yard for each main structure shall be fifteen (15) feet and the total width of the two (2) required side yards shall be minimum of thirty (30) feet.

B.

Rear. Each main structure shall have a rear yard of fifty (50) feet or more.

Structures may be erected up to seventy-five (75) feet in height from grade. This requirement shall not apply to chimneys, water towers, monuments, parapet walls, flues, flagpoles, television antennae, radio aerials, and similar structures and necessary mechanical appurtenances. Towers may be erected to a height greater than seventy-five (75) feet if a special use permit is approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals.

A.

Of the two (2) sides of a corner lot, the shortest side fronting upon a street shall be considered the front of the lot, and the longest side fronting upon a street shall be considered the side of the lot.

B.

The minimum side yard facing the direction of the side street shall be twenty-five (25) feet or more for both main and accessory buildings.