Palouse City Zoning Code
§ 17.04.080
Agricultural district AG.
A.
Purpose of Agricultural District. The purpose and intent of this district is to provide areas where the primary intended use is crop farming, and to preserve and maintain the rural character of these farmlands. This district also addresses the designation and protection of resource lands and critical areas such as prime farmland.
B.
Principal Uses Permitted Outright. The following principal uses in the agricultural district shall be permitted outright:
1.
Field cropping and related activities;
2.
Existing telecommunication facilities and support structures.
a.
Ordinary maintenance of existing telecommunications facilities and support structures, as defined herein, shall be exempt from zoning and permitting requirements. In addition, the following facilities are not subject to the provisions of this section: (i) antennas used by residential households solely for broadcast radio and television reception; (ii) satellite antennas used solely for residential or household purposes; (iii) COWs placed for a period of not more than 120 days at any location within city of Palouse after a declaration of an emergency or a disaster; and (iv) television and AM/FM radio broadcast towers and associated facilities.
C.
Accessory Uses Permitted Outright. The following accessory uses in the agricultural district shall be permitted outright:
1.
The usual accessory structures necessary for the principal permitted agricultural uses, excepting those prohibited uses listed below.
2.
There shall be a height limit of 35 feet on accessory structures, excepting those already existing as of November 15, 1996.
D.
Conditional Uses Permitted. The board of adjustment may grant conditional use permits for the following uses, with the intent of permitting small scale diversified farming operations but discouraging large scale commercial uses. These uses shall be of an appropriate size and location in order not to conflict with neighboring zones. These uses must also meet conditions which may be further set forth by the board of adjustment:
1.
Small scale nurseries, greenhouses and horticultural activities and associated structures, not exceeding 48 percent of buildable land area;
2.
Signs related to property use, no larger than four feet by eight feet;
3.
Roadside stands and on-premises sales of crops or produce grown on the premises;
4.
A one-family residence, with the provisions that the subject land has not been commercially farmed or cultivated in the preceding three years and site access has been officially approved by the board of adjustment;
5.
Wireless telecommunication facilities and support structures. Any action taken to construct or collocate a wireless telecommunication facility, tower, and/or support structure will be understood, evaluated, and processed as a "variance" by the board of adjustment. As such, all procedural actions taken by the board of adjustment will adhere to PMC § 17.04.100(C).
a.
Wireless telecommunication facility and support structure applications can be obtained at Palouse City Hall.
b.
Abandonment and Removal. If a telecommunication facility, tower and/or support structure is abandoned, and it remains abandoned for a period in excess of 12 consecutive months, the city of Palouse may require that such structure be removed only after first providing written notice to the owner of the structure and giving the owner the opportunity to take such action(s) as may be necessary to reclaim the structure within 30 days of receipt of said written notice. In the event the owner of the structure fails to reclaim the structure within the 30-day period, the owner of the structure shall be required to remove the same within six months thereafter. The city of Palouse shall ensure and enforce removal by means of its existing regulatory authority.
E.
Prohibited Uses. The following uses shall be prohibited outright:
1.
Feedlots, slaughterhouses, and livestock sales yards;
2.
Topsoil removal for commercial sale;
3.
Nonagricultural uses, excepting residences as provided in subsection (D)(4) of this section;
4.
All uses which would present a danger to the health or safety of neighboring residents;
5.
There is no residing in tents, campers, or motorized vehicles for greater than 29 days per annum, except as provided in subsection (D)(4) of this section and PMC § 17.04.040(D)(9);
6.
Mini-storage business is prohibited outright.
F.
Density, Lot Size and Setback. The following shall apply in the agricultural district:
1.
Density. Unrestricted, excepting conditional residential use, for which density shall be not more than one dwelling unit per parcel.
2.
Lot Size. Unrestricted, if no residence. For a lot having a dwelling, minimum lot size shall be 10 acres.
3.
Setbacks. The minimum setback for accessory and conditional structures shall be 20 feet on all sides, except that a minimum of 35 feet shall be required for a structure adjacent to a roadway.
(Ord. 922 § 1, 2014; Ord. 954 § 1, 2017)
