Virginia Right-to-Farm Act (§3.2-301) (VA)
Tracked preemption from the Virginia overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
1981-07-01
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:VA
Other Virginia preemptions
Virginia 2024-2025 Housing Preemption Bills (Status: None Enacted)Virginia Small Cell Wireless Facility Preemption (§§15.2-2316.3 / 15.2-2316.4)Virginia Stormwater Management Program (VSMP)Virginia Military Air Installation Influence Areas (§15.2-2294)Virginia Local Hazard Mitigation Plan Integration (44 CFR 201.6 / Va. Code §44-146.18:2)Virginia Family Day Home Preemption (§15.2-2292)Virginia RPA 100-ft Riparian Buffer (Chesapeake Bay Preservation Act)Virginia Floodplain Management — NFIP Coordination (Va. Code §10.1-600 et seq.)
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
parcel.base_zone_category == agriculturalPreempted fields
2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
base_districts[category=agricultural].special_use_permit_for_production_agriculture | waive | — | Va. Code §3.2-301 expressly prohibits any local ordinance requiring a special exception or special use permit for production agriculture or silviculture activity in an area zoned as an agricultural district or classification. Mirrors §15.2-2288's identical preemption. |
base_districts[category=agricultural].farm_structure_restrictions | waive | — | Localities may not enact zoning that 'unreasonably restrict[s] or regulate[s] farm structures or farming and forestry practices' in an agricultural district unless the restriction bears a relationship to health, safety, and general welfare. Setback, minimum-area, and reasonable operational requirements are permitted. |
Citation
Authority source
Va. Code §3.2-300 et seq. (Right to Farm Act); §3.2-301 (Right to farm; restrictive ordinances); §3.2-302 (When agricultural operations do not constitute nuisance); parallel preemption in §15.2-2288 (Title 15.2 zoning enabling)
§ §§3.2-300 through 3.2-302
Research notes
Two-part statute: §3.2-301 is the zoning-preemption prong (no SUPs for ag in ag districts; no unreasonable restriction of farm structures/practices); §3.2-302 is the nuisance-immunity prong (an existing ag operation cannot become a nuisance to subsequently-encroaching nonagricultural land uses absent negligence or fundamental change in operation). Parallel to §15.2-2288 in the zoning enabling chapter — together they form Virginia's dual ag preemption. Reinforced by the §15.2-4300 et seq. Agricultural and Forestal Districts Act for voluntary 4-10 yr enrolled districts (covered separately as VA_AGRICULTURAL_FORESTAL_DISTRICTS).