Zoning Laws Applied

I ran the previous properties through the zoning formulas that I found. I have to guess at the zoning to the best of my ability and just divide it between rural (O-S, A-E, and R-A) and suburban (R-O). Casa de Kelly was 1.42 acres and suburban. Using the R-O formula, it gets 5.1 units. That’s five horses and a chicken. No dogs or cats would fit. Or you could have four horses, two dogs, a cat, and an emu (variety is the spice of life, they say). In light of this, I am even more curious about the owner’s claim to have kept 16 horses there at one point. Of course, as a rescue agency, it’s possible there were special permits in effect.

The first Somis property is 19.51 acres and rural, so it gets unlimited animals. If, for fun, we apply the per acre formula, there are 85 units allowed. Eighty-five horses. It boggles the mind. But if you want a mixed bag, you could have 40 horses (boarders might be wise), 8 dogs (you have your own hunting pack), 50 hens and roosters (omelets, anyone?), a rabbit or 20 for your kids, and a herd of 37 buffalo. Needless to say, these zoning laws do not reflect what can be reasonably kept on a piece of land. This example set up would be madness on 20 acres. It could be argued to be madness on any land, but I will let that alone. The 32 acre Somis property (zoned O-S, according to the owner) is also unlimited and an example does not even bear thinking about.

At first glance, it looks like you are set for life if you can get a rural piece of property. Even ten acres is not that large and you can have as many animals as you please. That's great. But in California, property is being developed left and right. As the zoning and demographics of rural areas continue to change, it will be more and more difficult to get large plots of land and the old rules will no longer apply.