Napa County directs staff to revise micro‑winery ordinance, seeks industry input on trade‑visit rules

The Napa County Board of Supervisors on March 11 directed county planning staff to return with a recommended update to the county's micro winery ordinance that would remove the ordinance's May 5, 2025 sunset and bring forward amendments shaped by stakeholders and the Planning Commission. The board made the instruction by unanimous vote: motion by Supervisor Joelle Gallagher, second by Supervisor John Alessio.

The action follows several hours of public comment from small vineyard owners, winemakers and industry groups who said the current micro winery pathway has not eased the regulatory or financial burdens they face. Michael Parker, senior planner in the county's Planning, Building and Environmental Services Department, explained the rules staff built into the ordinance and noted its sunset clause: “No application for a new micro winery use permit . . . shall be considered 3 years after 05/05/2022, unless the…