Generally, the R-A residential agricultural district covers certain portions of the county now devoted predominantly to various open uses, such as farms and forests, into which residential or other types of development have and can reasonably be expected to expand in the foreseeable future, but where location and timing of public programs will not currently support higher densities. This district is established to permit existing farming operations and related businesses to continue as interim uses while protecting watersheds and conserving water and other natural resources. This district is also established to:

(1)

Help protect property values from the adverse effects of unregulated development;

(2)

Provide for orderly development;

(3)

Discourage the random scattering of residential and commercial uses into the area; and

(4)

Prevent premature urbanization.

(Code 1988, § 17-516)

The following uses and structures are permitted by right in the R-A residential agricultural district:

(1)

Agricultural uses involving tilling of the soil, the raising of crops, horticulture, forestry and gardening.

(2)

Detached single-family dwelling on an individual lot.

(3)

On farms of 100 acres or more, two single-family residential structures may be constructed on the same property. When this takes place, the location of the structure shall be such as to permit future subdivision of the land to conform to the provisions of chapter 70 and this chapter. When the second structure is built, it will be considered as one of the residential subdivisions authorized by this subsection. In addition to the setbacks required in this chapter, the placement of houses will be no closer than 100 feet apart.

(4)

Public school.

(5)

Church, church bulletin board, parish house, convent, monastery.

(6)

Park, playground.

(7)

Wildlife preserve, conservation area.

(8)

Home occupations:

a.

Office.

b.

Home occupation child care.

(9)

Volunteer fire or rescue squad.

(10)

General store with business sign.

(11)

Mobile home on farm operation in accordance with requirements for mobile units in section 90-943.

(12)

Mobile home as a temporary use during the period of construction of a conventionally built residence in accordance with requirements for mobile units in section 90-943.

(13)

Mobile home or travel trailer as a temporary use during the period of construction of a commercial, industrial or public structure of development, public facility or public utility in accordance with the requirements for mobile units in section 90-943.

(14)

Offstreet parking as required by this chapter.

(15)

Public utility distribution facilities and temporary structure, with a floor area of 100 square feet or less, used in support thereof for a period of 12 months or less.

(16)

Aquaculture.

(17)

Manufactured houses at least 19 feet in width and placed in a manner which renders the unit no longer transportable. Such units shall either have an enclosed or skirted foundation.

(18)

Temporary outdoor Christmas tree sales and holiday items provided that:

a.

Sales shall not begin before November 15th and shall be restricted to retail sales of Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands and similar decorative horticultural materials and holiday craft items.

b.

Any portion of the sales area shall be located in accordance with the minimum side and rear yard setbacks required for the district.

c.

Sufficient area shall be set aside to provide a minimum of five temporary offstreet parking spaces. If the sales are conducted on the same lot with an existing use, the required minimum and most accessible parking spaces for the existing use shall not be used for Christmas tree sales.

d.

All Christmas tree products, parked vehicles, signs, trash, debris or other material associated with or resulting from the Christmas tree operation shall be removed no later than January 15.

(19)

Temporary outdoor Virginia legal fireworks sales provided that:

a.

Sales shall not begin before June 15 and shall be restricted to Virginia legal fireworks sales that meet the local fire code requirements.

b.

Any portion of the sales area shall be located in accordance with the minimum side and rear yard setbacks required for the district.

c.

Sufficient area shall be set aside to provide a minimum of five temporary offstreet parking spaces. If the sales are conducted on the same lot with an existing use, the required minimum and most accessible parking spaces for the existing use shall not be used for Virginia legal fireworks sales.

d.

All Virginia legal fireworks products, parked vehicles, signs, trash or debris or other material associated with or resulting from the Virginia legal fireworks sales shall be removed no later than July 15.

(20)

Animal boarding place, private, on parcels of more than one acre in size.

(Code 1988, § 17-517; Ord. No. O-02-012, 10-22-2002; Ord. No. O-14-16, § 1, 7-22-2014; Ord. No. O-22-37, § 3, 12-13-2022)

The following uses and structures are permitted by special exception in the R-A residential agricultural district:

(1)

Airport, private landing area.

(2)

Riding school, riding stable.

(3)

Lodge, hunting club, yacht club, golf course, country club.

(4)

Small boat landing with repair facilities.

(5)

Cemetery.

(6)

Mobile home park.

(7)

Service station, public garage, repair shop.

(8)

Lumber building, fencing and landscaping supplies and equipment.

(9)

Assembly hall.

(10)

Custom cabinet-making shop, furniture sales and repair shop, reupholstery shop.

(11)

Processing plant for agricultural and forest products.

(12)

Home professional and trade offices.

(13)

Sawmill.

(14)

Planing mill.

(15)

Public utility generating station, transmission line and tower other than normal distribution facilities, pipe, meter, railroad, water and sewerage installation, compressor station, measurement station, regulator station.

(16)

Business sign.

(17)

Directional sign.

(18)

Home occupation sign.

(19)

Mobile home located on an individual lot when in accordance with requirements for mobile units in section 90-945.

(20)

Horse racetrack, polo field.

(21)

Extraction of natural resources, provided the board of supervisors may waive any or all provisions of section 54-6 for earth borrow pits made for sole use in the construction of highways maintained by the state department of transportation, provided the state department of transportation has jurisdiction over the erosion control and reclamation process for the borrow pit using the state department of transportation publication entitled "Road and Bridge Specifications," dated July 1, 1982, as amended, for erosion control and reclamation standards.

(22)

Recreation structure and uses related to outdoor recreation, commercial and noncommercial recreational vehicle park.

(23)

Animal hospital, animal boarding place, veterinary service.

(24)

Sanitary landfill.

(25)

Golf driving range, miniature golf course.

(26)

Boys' home with a resident population not exceeding 20.

(27)

Gun club with or without indoor or outdoor shooting range, rifle range, skeet shooting range.

(28)

Radio-controlled model airplane club.

(29)

Commercial child care center.

(30)

Home for the aged.

(31)

Nursing home.

(32)

Private school, private kindergarten, nursery school.

(33)

Structure for exhibits and demonstrations operated by nonprofit organizations.

(34)

Day camp, boarding camp.

(35)

Buildings or uses primarily for federal, state, county or local governmental purposes except public school, park or playground.

(36)

Livestock market.

(37)

Wayside stand for display and sale of farm products.

(38)

Tire retreading or recapping in conjunction with a service station, public garage or repair shop.

(39)

Gift shop.

(40)

Storage of explosives in conformance with all applicable federal and state regulations.

(41)

Agricultural equipment sales and service.

(42)

Asphalt mixing plant.

(43)

Corporate training facility with overnight accommodations.

(44)

Tree stump landfills. Stumps and other natural vegetation may be buried in designated areas, provided:

a.

A surveyed plat of the landfilling site so designated is recorded in the office of the clerk of the circuit court;

b.

All county erosion control and reclamation ordinances are adhered to; and

c.

Such other conditions as required by the board of supervisors that are deemed appropriate.

(45)

Processing plant for aquaculture products.

(46)

Storage of portable toilets.

(47)

Turkey shoot in accordance with the requirements of section 90-1031.

(48)

Retail sale of firearms.

(49)

Plumbing and electrical supply business with storage under separate cover.

(50)

Embroidery operation subject to the following conditions:

a.

The use is limited to a portion of the main structure or an outbuilding not exceeding 15 percent of the main structure or 1,000 square feet including storage areas.

b.

The use is limited to machines with no more than two heads.

c.

There will be no retail sales from the proposed location.

d.

The operation can employ no more that two employees, including the owner.

e.

The owner must reside on the parcel of land on which the embroidery operation is situated.

(51)

Family day care home (large).

(52)

Cottage industry home occupation on a parcel of five acres or more in area.

(53)

Home occupation within an accessory building.

(54)

Bingo hall.

(55)

Vehicle impound facility.

(56)

Tier 2 battery energy storage system, in accordance with section 90-1042.

(Code 1988, § 17-518; Ord. No. O-00-011, 10-24-2000; Ord. No. O-02-012, 10-22-2002; Ord. No. O-03-004, 10-14-2003; Ord. No. O-13-14, § 1, 8-13-2013; Ord. No. O-17-04, § 1, 4-25-2017; Ord. No. O-22-13, § 6, 5-10-2022; Ord. No. O-25-12, § 2, 8-12-2025)

(1)Animal

boarding place, private, on parcels of one acre or less in size.

(Ord. No. O-12-37, § 1, 11-27-2012; Ord. No. O-22-37, § 4, 12-13-2022)

(a)

In the R-A residential agricultural district, accessory uses and structures are permitted as defined; however, garages or other accessory structures, such as carports, porches and stoops, attached to the main building shall be considered part of the main building. No accessory structure may be closer than five feet to any property line.

(b)

The following contained or fenced animal and poultry operations are considered accessory uses with the R-A residential agricultural district, but are subject to the noted provisions:

(1)

Fowl and poultry: not to exceed 250 birds per tract.

(2)

Brood goats or sheep: four or less per acre per tract, not to exceed 75 head.

(3)

Rabbits: not to exceed 200 per tract.

(4)

Beef, dairy cattle or livestock: one or less per acre per tract, not to exceed 125 head, and provided any animal containment or fenced area is a distance of at least 150 feet from the nearest adjoining dwelling.

(5)

Hogs or swine: three or less sows, a boar and litters on a tract at least ten acres in size and provided any animal containment or fenced area is a distance of at least 500 feet from the nearest adjoining dwelling.

(6)

Apiary for honey production and bee wax products.

(c)

The following are considered accessory uses with the R-A residential agricultural district, but are subject to the noted provisions:

(1)

Roof- or ground-mounted small solar energy facility or large-scale solar energy facility as defined by section 90-1, provided that the solar facility only generates energy for that structure.

(Code 1988, § 17-519; Ord. No. O-17-04, § 1, 4-25-2017; Ord. No. O-13-01 (01-14-2014), § 1, 1-14-2014; Ord. No. O-13-04, § 1, 1-14-2014)

In the R-A residential agricultural district, the minimum lot area for permitted uses shall be five acres.

(Code 1988, § 17-520)

(a)

In the R-A residential agricultural district, structures shall be 75 feet or more from any street right-of-way which is 50 feet or greater in width or 100 feet or more from the centerline of any street right-of-way less than 50 feet in width. This shall be known as the setback line. However, public utility distribution facilities and signs advertising the sale or rent of property may be erected up to the property line.

(b)

A single-family dwelling or farm building upon which lawful construction was commenced on or before December 1, 1973, that did conform to previous requirements of a 35-foot setback from any street right-of-way which was 50 feet or greater in width or 60 feet or more from the centerline of any street right-of-way less than 50 feet in width may be expanded by a maximum of 50 percent of its original area, provided that no portion of any such expansion shall be located closer to the street right-of-way than any portion of the original building. The expansion of any structure which does not meet the criteria in this subsection shall be unlawful unless a variance has been obtained as provided for in this chapter.

(Code 1988, § 17-521)

(a)

Frontage. In the R-A residential agricultural district, the minimum lot frontage for permitted uses shall be at least 80 percent of the minimum required lot width, provided that the minimum lot frontage for permitted uses on culs-de-sac be at least 50 feet.

(b)

Width. The minimum lot width for permitted uses shall be 150 feet.

(Code 1988, § 17-522)

In the R-A residential agricultural district, for lots created after the effective date of the ordinance from which this chapter is derived, the length thereof shall not exceed four times the width.

(Code 1988, § 17-523)

(a)

Side. In the R-A residential agricultural district, the minimum side yard for each main structure shall be 15 feet, and the total width of two required side yards shall be 30 feet or more.

(b)

Rear. Each main structure shall have a rear yard of 35 feet or more.

(Code 1988, § 17-524)

(a)

In the R-A residential agricultural district, the minimum side yard on the side facing the side street shall be 35 feet or more for both main and accessory buildings.

(b)

Each corner lot shall have a minimum width at the setback line of 200 feet or more.

(Code 1988, § 17-525)

In the R-A residential agricultural district, buildings may be erected up to 35 feet in height, except that:

(1)

A public or semipublic building such as a school or church may be erected to a height of 60 feet from the grade, provided that required front, side and rear yards shall be increased one foot for each foot in height over 35 feet.

(2)

Church spires, belfries, cupolas, monuments, water towers, chimneys, flues, flagpoles, television antennae and radio aerials are exempt. Parapet walls may be up to four feet above the height of the building on which the walls rest.

(3)

No accessory building which is within 20 feet of any party lot line shall be more than one story high. All accessory buildings shall be less than the main building in height, provided that an accessory structure may be erected up to a height of 35 feet when located at least 150 feet from the main building and at least 100 feet from any party lot line.

(Code 1988, § 17-526)