A-1 Zoning
Definitions
The A-1 Agricultural District
has been established to preserve and enhance the low-density character and natural
resources of the rural areas of the county where agriculture, forests, and open
space uses predominate, as well as to accommodate limited amounts of low density
residential development that is not served by public water or sewer.
A-1 Zoning applies to lands designated as
Agricultural or Rural Areas in the Comprehensive Plan and are not served by public
water, sewer, or are not in close proximity to other public services.
Lands qualifying for inclusion in the A-1
zoning district shall include all current A-1 lands existing at the time the
current ordinance passed (12/13/99) and other lands within areas mapped Agricultural
or Rural in the Comprehensive Plan. Minimum area required to create an
A-1 district is 10 acres of contiguous land.
By Right & Special
Use Permit Uses
As long as you comply with all approved plans
and permits, development and performance standards contained in the current Zoning
Ordinance and all other applicable regulations, you have the right to do the following
with A-1 property:
- Agriculture
- Agriculture, intensive
- Agriculture, small scale
- Bed & Breakfast, homestay
- Cemetery
- Church
- Dwelling, single family
- Fire, police, or rescue squad station
- Home occupation
- Manufactured (mobile) home, Class A or
B
- Natural Area
- Park, unlighted
- Playground, unlighted
- Public utility lines, other
- Roadside stands operated by a farmer owner
or by farm operators only
- Sawmill, temporary
- School
- Telecommunications tower, attached
- Pet, Farm
- Pet, Household
- Veterinary practice, animal hospital
A special use permit is granted by the Board
of Supervisors for land uses other than those which are permitted by right. The
permit allows the Board of Supervisors discretionary review of landuse proposals
that might have an unwanted impact upon the health, safety, and welfare of the
public and allows the Board of Supervisors to impose additional conditions on
the development in order to avoid, minimize, or mitigate potentially adverse effects
upon the community or other properties in the vicinity of the proposed use or
structure. The following uses require a special use permit in the A-1 Agricultural
District:
- Bed & Breakfast Inn
- Campground
- Camp, Boarding
- Civic Club
- Country Club
- Country Inn
- Custom Meat cutting, processing, and sales,
including slaughter
- Day Care Center
- Disposal Facility, Landfill
- Exploratory activities associated with
extractive industries
- Extractive industries and accessory uses,
including, but not limited to, the mining of minerals and the operation of oil
and gas wells.
- Game Preserve
- Garden Center
- General store, provided gross floor area
is 2,000 sq. ft or less
- Golf Course / Driving Range
- Grain Mill, Feed Mill
- Home Business
- Junkyard, automobile graveyard
- Kennel, commercial
- Livestock Market
- Park, lighted
- Playground, lighted
- Public utility plant, other, substation,
or water or sewer (not including distribution or collection lines
- Recreational Vehicle Park
- Recycling Collection Points
- Repair shop, automotive (with special standards)
- Restaurant (gross floor area 2,000 sq.
feet or less)
- Rural Resort
- Sawmill
- Shooting Range (as principle use or accessory
to gun shop
- Slaughterhouse
- Solid Waste Collection Point
- Stable, Commercial
- Structure, non-Residential, over 20,000
gross sq. ft
- Structures, 65+ feet height
- Telecommunications Tower
- Contractors Storage Yard.
In addition, special use restrictions apply
to automotive repair shops, kennels, and shooting ranges.
Lot & Building
Requirements in A-1
Minimum Lot Size
1 Acre.
Lot Access
Lots must be accessible from a VDOT road or from a hard-surface
road designed by a professional engineer to accommodate projected volumes, loads,
and vehicle types and must be approved by the Zoning Administrator. There are
two exceptions: 1) 3 lots divided from a parent parcel may be served by a private
access easement at least forty (40) feet in width, and 2) when all permitted lots
on a parent parcel are served by a private access easement at least 40 feet in
width and has a VDOT approved entrance permit for the easement to access the VDOT
road system.
Maximum Coverage
1) Net residential coverage on a parent tract cannot exceed
one dwelling per every 2.5 net acres, including accessory dwellings and are subject
to sliding scale limitations; 2) No more that 20% of lot may be covered by buildings
or other impervious surfaces.
Minimum Width
120 feet at the minimum setback line of the front yard.
Frontage requirements for family subdivisions and public utilities or public water
and sewer installation lots shall be in accord with the Montgomery County Subdivision
Ordinance.
Maximum Length/Width Ratio
Five to One (5:1) for any lot less than 20 acres in area.
Minimum Yards:
Front: 40 feet (also refer to additional setback
requirements pertaining to residential uses near intensive agricultural operations);
Side 15 feet for each principal structure; Rear: 40 feet; Accessory
Buildings: no accessory building may be located closer than 10 feet to a side
or rear lot line.
Maximum Building Height
No building or structure, except for exempted structures
provided for in Section 1-205.B. of the Zoning Ordinance, shall exceed 40 feet
in height, as defined, except by Special Use Permit and that for every 1 foot
above 40 feet, the building or structure shall be set back an additional 2 feet
up to a maximum of 100 feet.
©2002, Montgomery County Department
of Planning & Inspections
Last Updated: 14 August, 2002
Comments and suggestions should be sent to the Planning Department
Webmaster