I would like to know if anyone can tell me of a site where I can see what various animal zoning laws are in a prticular area? I want to know where the area stands on livestock type critters....I want to have some llamas, and a couple horses and maybe some meat animals. Not like a production thing or anything, but just for us. I also know that because you have land, does not even guarantee that you can have several dogs! I know people who have big property but they have strict laws about how many dogs or even the size! Then there are others who have a minimum of land, but no restrictions on dogs. I have searched and can't find something online that can help me find out about these differing zoning laws. Like to research the areas we are looking at. Thanks so much for any help.

-- Kathy in Va (VaUSMCwf@home.com), July 26, 2001

Answers

Response to Zoning question....

Hi Kathy, I can't even imagine how you would find out this information. There are no zoning laws in our county/area of Texas, yet people do get together and have specific laws in subdivisions and the such, which in some places you can't even fence, have a boat in the front yard, or have pigs. There are also neighborhood laws, about having junk cars and pigs within so many feet of your neighbor. About the only law we have is the set back law, in which your neighbor can't build on or so many feet from you property line, something we are going to have to discuss with our neighbor soon. If you do purchase land that is zoned, make sure it is zoned agricultural, then make sure there are no restrictions placed on the deed, or anything through a homeowners association either. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), July 26, 2001.

Check at the county seat in the land or in the zoning office and then check your township to see if they have restrictions. If you are within a town's city limits check with that town, perhaps at the clerk's office. Take no one's word. Ask for a copy of the regulations even if you have to pay for it. Better safe than sorry. Some of these good ol' boys get financially repressive when their little rules are broken. Good luck.

-- Sandra Nelson (Magin@starband.net), July 26, 2001.

Your not going to find this online for most rural areas. You need to look at the county, township (parish down south) and at the city level to find out. Do assume that just because the people next to you have 200 head a cattle you can have any livestock. They may be zoned differently than your parcel of land.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), July 26, 2001.

I see you're also from VA,the state has a right to farm law if you're in an agrictural area.Stay away from "planned communities" and the like because they will have alot of deed restrictions.In VA state law over rides county regulations.

-- Gary (burnett_gary@msn.com), July 26, 2001.

Check with realestate agents....Like a area?>..find a sign or too..give them a call......lean on them real heavy for complete answers....if that area has any zoning,.....walk out the door..quickly!!

-- Jim-mi (hartalteng@voyager.net), July 26, 2001.

Hey Gary, could you please expound on this right to farm law in VA? This is where we just moved to and hopefully where we are going to find land...

-- stephanie nosacek (pospossum@earthlink.net), July 27, 2001.

>Check with realestate agents.. Before we brought our land, the selling realtor said it was zoned agricultural (farm type -- can have lots of animals). Discovered it was residental and we refused to buy till the zoning was changed. I wasn't going to take a chance! In addition to the suggestions already offered, you should also check to see if there are Restrictive Covenants which are usually done when a subdivision is developed. The covenants may say no travel trailers, boats, fences, number of dogs you can have, etc.

-- Marsha (CaprisMaa@aol.com), July 27, 2001.

The VA right to farm law gives farmers a right to carry on their farming operation and protects them from lawsuits about their farming operation.Check with a VA Farm office they can probably give you a copy of the law or tell you where to get one.

-- Gary (burnett_gary@msn.com), July 29, 2001.

There are zoning laws, and there are deed restrictions, and there are CC&Rs (covenants, conditions, and restrictions).

Laws can be and are often enforced by the appropriate government agency. Deed restrictions and CC&Rs may or may not be enforced, depending upon who has the money and the inclination to sue, they are civil court matters. CC&Rs usually work for the original set of homeowners in a development, and are usually enforced as long as the developer still has properties within to sell, but 2 or 3 owners down the road, forget it, because no one cares to keep up with the meetings. Some associations don't even collect dues, so they couldn't hire a lawyer even if they wanted to.

Also, some restrictions are illegal (such as those prohibiting sale to people of other races or creeds) and are therefore unenforceable, and some become archaic or hard to interpret (no home business can mean a mail order business is okay, but not a foot-traffic business, such as a hair salon). Some even specify that you can't rent out your property. Or you can't have a small repair truck because they choose to classify all trucks as heavy equipment.

What you find especially about CC&Rs is that unless you are willing to go to all the board meetings, and take your turn writing parking tickets and mow your lawn, move your car tickets, etc. etc. ad nauseum, in other words take on a second job, whether or not they choose to go after someone for violations is purely political. There are some people for whom this is the one time in their lives they have power, and they enjoy wielding it.

I would think that zoning laws would trump the others, but I am not a lawyer. Best place to look would be the county, but you still need parcel numbers and/or addresses to do it properly. Good Luck.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), August 12, 2001.