Shafter Zoning Code § 11.40 Keeping of Animals (CA)

Intent

This Section is intended to ensure that keeping of animals or husbandry land uses do not create adverse impacts to adjacent properties such as dust, noise, odor, fumes, bright light, visual blight, or insect infestation.

Applicability

All keeping of animals or husbandry land uses conducted shall comply with the provisions of this Section in addition to applicable provisions of the zone district in which the said use is located.

3. Pre-Existing Uses

Legally established keeping of animals and husbandry use which would, as a result of the adoption of this Title become nonconforming with this Section, be permitted to continue as a “legal nonconforming use”, provided, that the use meets the criteria for legal nonconforming uses, pursuant to Section 2.120 (Nonconforming Use and Structure Provisions) of this Title.

Specific Use Development Standards

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Permitted Uses

The following uses are permitted uses on each residential parcel in the City. For purposes of calculating allowed number of animals, remainders of area or of animals shall be rounded down.

a. The following standards apply to the keeping of domestic pets within A, E, R-1, R-2, and R-3 zone districts.
- (1) On lots smaller than one-quarter (¼) acre, the keeping of dogs or cats shall not exceed two (2) adult dogs or two (2) adult cats or a combination thereof totaling not more than four adult animals.
- (2) On lots of one-quarter (¼) acre or greater, two (2) adult dogs or two (2) adult cats or a combination thereof totaling not more than four (4) adult animals may be kept on a lot for each onequarter (¼) acre, up to a maximum of six (6) adult dogs or six (6) adult cats, or a combination thereof totaling not more than eight (8) adult animals.
- (3) The keeping of up to ten (10) domestic, adult household pets, other than dogs and cats, including domestic birds, tropical fish, rabbits, hamsters, rats, mice, and similar type pets, shall be permitted in any combination of species for lots one-quarter (¼) acre or less; and ten (10) additional such pets shall be permitted for each additional one-quarter (¼) acre, provided the total number of adult household pets kept does not exceed fifty (50) animals on any lot.
b. The following standards apply to the non-commercial keeping of horses within the A and E zone districts.
- (1) One horse or pony may be kept on any lot with an area no less than one-half (½) acre. One additional horse or pony, or combination thereof, may be kept for each additional onequarter acre on the same lot.
c. Non-commercial keeping of the following animals, in any combination, may be permitted within the “A” and “E” zone districts:
- (1) Goats, sheep, and other small sized cleft hoof animals.
  - (a) No goats, sheep or other small sized cleft hoof animals shall be kept on any lot less than one-quarter (¼) acre.
  - (b) Two adult goats, sheep or other small sized cleft hoof animals may be kept for each one-quarter (¼) acre up to a maximum of eight (8) adult animals total, in any combination thereof.

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(2) Cattle (Bovines)
- (a) No cattle or bovines shall be kept on any lot less than one-half (½) acre.
- (b) One bovine may be kept for each one-half (½) acre up to a maximum of six (6) bovine.
(3) Minimum distance for structures used for habitation of animals, such as stalls, pens, coops, but not including property line fences, shall be as follows: ten (10) feet from a residential building on the same lot; thirty (30) feet from off-site residential structures or other structures used for human habitation; onehundred (100) feet from the front lot line; twenty-five (25) feet from a street side lot line on a corner lot; and seventy-five (75) feet from a public park, school, hospital or similar institution.
d. Student Oriented Projects

The breeding and raising of livestock, in greater numbers than allowed in this Chapter, by minors in conjunction with a student-oriented fair project sponsored by a bona fide agricultural organization shall be permitted upon application to and approval by the Planning Director.

(1) Application Contents. An application for a Temporary Animal Permit shall include the following:
- (a) The name and address of the applicant.
- (b) The name(s) and address(es) of the property owner(s).
- (c) Assessor’s parcel number(s).
- (d) Legal description of the subject property.
- (e) Name of the organization sponsoring the applicant.
- (f) A plot plan showing the location of proposed pens, coops, or areas for the breeding and raising of animals in relation to existing residence(s) and other buildings and structures within one hundred (100) feet of pens, coops, or areas housing livestock.
- (g) The signature of each owner of the real property abutting the subject lot consenting to the granting of the Temporary Animal Permit.
(2) Development Standards and Conditions. The breeding and raising of animals on a temporary basis shall comply with the following standards and conditions:

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(a) Applicant shall be sponsored by a bona fide organization, such as, but not limited to, Future Farmers of America, 4-H Club, Cow Belles, or Junior Farmers.
(b) The increase in animal density shall not exceed one (1) horse, donkey, mule, cow, dairy stock, goat, hog, sheep, or other similar animal per one-quarter (¼) acre of lot area. In any case, no more than six (6) additional animals shall be allowed.
(c) A Temporary Animal Permit shall be effective for a period of six (6) months from the effective date of the permit. No more than one (1) such permit shall be approved for any lot within a one (1) year period.
(d) The written consent of each abutting property owner consenting to the granting of a Temporary Animal Permit must be obtained.
(e) The applicant shall allow inspection of animal maintenance facilities by the Kern County Health Department and City staff.
(f) The Planning Director may revoke a Temporary Animal Permit at any time for noncompliance with this Title or upon receipt of a recommendation for revocation from the Kern County Health Department.
- (g) Each additional animal authorized by a Temporary Animal Permit over the allowable animal density specified herein shall be removed upon expiration of the permit.
e. Conditionally Permitted Uses

The following shall be subject to the conditional use permit procedure as provided in Section 2.50 of this Title.

(1) Exotic or wild animals (as defined in Chapter 1).
(2) On lots twenty thousand (20,000) square feet or greater, frog farms or the raising of earthworms may be permitted, provided that the area devoted to such use or uses shall not exceed ten (10) percent of the net lot area.
(3) Fish hatcheries or farms for stocking, breeding or commercial sale.
(4) The raising of rabbits, chinchilla, nutria, hamsters, guinea pigs, and other such animals similar in size, appearance, and weight for commercial purposes.

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(5) Non-commercial aviaries (not including chickens) provided that the number of birds shall not exceed seventeen (17) birds for each ten thousand (10,000) square feet of net lot area.
(6) Non-commercial apiary (beekeeping) provided that hives and/or boxes shall be placed a minimum of four hundred (400) feet from any street, road, highway, public school, park or any occupied dwelling, except for the owner or caretaker of the apiary.
f. Animal Offspring

Offspring born to permitted or conditionally permitted animals kept on any given site may be maintained on said site until weaned without being counted against the maximum number of animals permitted on the site as follows:

(1) Cats and dogs; six (6) months
(2) Horses and ponies; twelve (12) months
(3) All other equine and cleft-hoofed animals; six (6) months).