The agricultural district is intended to provide an appropriate and compatible zoning classification for agricultural property which is annexed into the town so as to allow that property to be used or continue to be used as a viable commercial farming operation. The agricultural district is also intended to promote the preservation and conservation of rural areas within the town.

(Ord. 05-06-01 § 3 (part), 2005)

In the agricultural district, no building or structure may be erected or used and no land may be used or occupied except for one or more of the following principal uses:

A.

Agricultural Uses and Farms. Stockyards, slaughterhouses, fertilizer works or plants for the reduction of animal matter are not permitted as either principal or accessory uses;

B.

Commercial enterprises used solely for the purpose of fostering, nurturing and promoting agricultural industry and related enterprises, including but not limited to fairgrounds and educational institutions;

C.

Single-family residential dwellings;

D.

Public safety services, subject to site development plan approval.

(Ord. 07-01-01 § 2 (part), 2007: Ord. 05-06-01 § 3 (part), 2005)

The board of appeals may authorize the following principal uses in the agricultural district only as a special exception in accordance with the provisions of Section 17.44.060 of this code:

A.

Farming operations for which the principal use is the raising of animals or the growing of crops for experimental purposes and/or sale of such animals or crops on a commercial basis. No portion of such property shall be located closer than six hundred (600) feet from any residentially zoned district situated either within the corporate limits of the town or within Frederick County.

B.

Kennel. All animals housed, boarded or cared for in a kennel and which are not housed in an interior location enclosed from the elements must be kept a minimum of three hundred (300) feet from any property line unless the board of appeals determines that other circumstances exist, such as a berm or hill, which will mitigate the sounds of the animals.

(Ord. 05-06-01 § 3 (part), 2005)

The following restrictions are applicable in the agricultural district:

A.

Minimum lot or parcel size: twenty-five (25) acres;

B.

Front yard: fifty (50) feet;

C.

Rear yard: fifty (50) feet;

D.

Side yard: fifty (50) feet;

E.

Height: The restrictions for properties located within the R-20 district apply. Structures, such as silos, barns or other structures, which are typically used solely for agricultural purposes may be a maximum of fifty (50) feet in height;

F.

The maximum number of livestock, in any combination, allowed per acre is as follows:

1.

Cattle, horses, swine, llamas, mules, burros - one per acre;

2.

Sheep and goats - two per acre;

3.

Poultry and rabbits - ten (10) per acre;

G.

Except as hereinafter provided, subdivision of the property is not permitted. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for any one property of fifty (50) to seventy-five (75) acres, one lot may be subdivided from that property as an outlot and for each additional twenty-five (25) acres of the property, an additional outlot may be subdivided therefrom. Each outlot shall be subject to the lot area, lot width and yard requirements for property in the R-20 district as set forth in Section 17.16.070 of this code. If the subdivision creates two or more outlots, each of the outlots shall adjoin the property line of at least one of the other outlots so as to cluster such outlots in the same general vicinity. Each such outlot shall be situated within two hundred (200) feet or such other reasonable distance as determined by the planning commission of a town water and sewer line and any residential structure installed on such outlot shall connect to and be serviced by town water and sewer.

(Ord. No. 15-04-01, § I, 4-13-2015; Ord. 05-06-01 § 3 (part), 2005)

"Accessory use" refers to use of the property for supply, service, storage and processing areas and facilities, the use of which is secondary to that of the permitted agricultural activities. The following uses are permitted as an accessory use in the agricultural district:

A.

Accessory buildings and uses customarily incidental to any principal permitted use or authorized special exception use. The total combined square footage of all accessory buildings shall not exceed twenty (20) percent of the gross acreage of the property;

B.

Roadside stands offering for sale only agricultural products grown on the premises.

(Ord. 05-06-01 § 3 (part), 2005)