Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ag Structure Exemptions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission backs code changes to exempt common agricultural structures from building permits
Summary
The commission recommended amendments to Trinity County Code Chapter 15 to add definitions and an agricultural-structure permit exemption drawn from state building code practice; the measure passed 5-0 with additions to allowable zoning districts and instructions to tie fees to the county fee schedule.
The Trinity County Planning Commission unanimously recommended code amendments April 24 to add new definitions and building-permit exemptions for agricultural structures to Trinity County Code Chapter 15.
Senior building inspector Cody Smith said the proposal aligns county practice with the 2022 California Building Code by clarifying which agricultural structures are exempt from a building permit. Smith told commissioners he reviewed similar language from neighboring counties and consolidated language to fit Trinity County's needs. He said the draft explicitly lists hoop houses, greenhouses and woodsheds among examples of agricultural structures.
Public commenters including local farmers and contractors supported the change and urged the commission to explicitly include "row covers" (lightweight crop covers used to protect blossoms and early crops) and to ensure hoop houses that lack plumbing, electricity and fixed foundations are treated as ag-exempt to avoid permitting costs that can absorb farm profit margins.
Commissioners asked technical questions about where the ag exemption applies and whether the exemption would allow larger agricultural buildings used to store equipment. Smith said exempt structures must still meet zoning setbacks and lot coverage; other regulations such as grading permits would still apply if earth-moving thresholds were met. The staff-recommended letter-of-intent process would be used to confirm whether a proposed structure qualifies for the exemption based on its stated agricultural use.
The commission adopted Resolution PC 2025-06 by unanimous vote and asked staff to include the memorandum dated April 24 with updates to the agricultural-structure definition, to add Timber Production Zone (TPZ), Agricultural Forestry and Special Use Districts with agricultural designations to the allowable zoning districts list, and to reference the county fee schedule rather than a fixed dollar amount for any administrative fee associated with the exemption.
Smith said the intent is to reduce administrative burden on small farms and community agricultural projects while retaining site-review steps for public-safety items. Several commenters said the change would ease costs for community gardens, small farms and seasonal hoop-house operations.
