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York County Council approves rule change allowing farm-use tractor‑trailers to be parked outdoors in AGC zones
Summary
Council approved a text amendment to Chapter 155 allowing tractor‑trailers and similar equipment to be stored outdoors on agricultural land when they are essential to an on‑site bona fide farming operation and are owned, leased or rented by the property operator.
York County Council voted unanimously Jan. 21 to approve a text amendment to Chapter 155 of the county zoning code that allows tractor‑trailers and associated travel containers to be parked outdoors on AGC (agricultural) parcels when the equipment is essential to a bona fide farming operation and is owned, leased or rented by the operator.
The change responds to a staff‑generated code enforcement complaint about tractor‑trailers stored on agricultural property and aims to prevent conversion of farmland to trailer storage yards, Principal Planner Rick Abood told the council. Abood said the planning commission reviewed options and recommended three principles for the amendment: the equipment must be used only for agricultural purposes, it must be essential to the operation, and it must be owned, leased or rented by the owner or tenant of the farm property.
Supporters and some council members said the amendment restores needed flexibility to working farms. Council member Roddy (identified in the hearing by surname) raised concerns that the change could be used by nonfarm businesses to store trailers and asked whether staff had considered broader rules for residential and commercial areas; Abood and other staff said the draft focuses specifically on AGC and that a wider rewrite could be referred to planning and zoning for a separate review. Council members also asked whether other container rules (shipping containers vs. wheeled trailers) remain separate; staff confirmed the code treats them in different sections.
Council members pressed staff about safeguards: whether parcels would still be subject to setbacks and whether seasonal inactivity would be monitored. Staff clarified the amendment would not carry forward some existing setback/enclosure requirements for trailers used in bona fide farming operations, and said inspectors would judge whether a parcel was an active farm. Several council members urged staff to alert council when complaints arise so the county can revisit broader changes if necessary.
The council closed the public hearing without speakers opposing the change and approved the amendment on a motion and second. Council members who spoke in debate said they supported addressing the specific enforcement problem but suggested the county should consider a broader review of containers and trailer storage at a later date.
The ordinance amends Section 155.998 (parking and storage of vehicles) to add an explicit exception for tractor‑trailers used in active agricultural operations; the planning commission had voted unanimously to support the amendment.
