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Planning staff proposes animal-unit conversion chart and limits for parcels under 20 acres
Summary
Tulare County staff presented an animal-unit conversion table and proposed limits (2 animal units per acre; 25 quadrupeds total except 50 sheep/goats) to clarify by‑right livestock allowances on parcels under 20 acres; the table was adopted earlier by the Agricultural Advisory Committee.
County planning staff presented proposed animal-unit conversions and numeric limits intended to clarify how many animals property owners may keep as by‑right uses on parcels under 20 acres. The presentation explained the chart’s weight‑based conversions, a 2-animal‑unit‑per‑acre cap and a separate numeric cap intended to reduce recurring use-permit reviews.
Emily Gage of the Resource Management Agency said the conversion table was drafted with input from the Farm Bureau and adopted by the Agricultural Advisory Committee on July 16. The chart lists representative equivalencies such as: mature bovines (cows with calf at side, >800 lb) = 1 animal unit; weaned calves (500–800 lb) = 0.6 animal unit; calves <500 lb = 0.25; equines >750 lb = 1; horses <750 lb = 0.6; mature sheep/goats (>150 lb) = 0.2; lambs/miniature goats = 0.12; mature pigs (>200 lb) = 0.5; piglets/mini pigs <200 lb = 0.3; llamas/alpacas >300 lb = 0.5, and smaller classes for lighter animals.
Gage said the proposed code language for parcels under 20 acres would limit total animals to a maximum of 2 animal units per acre and a numeric cap of 25 quadrupeds of all types except sheep and goats, which would be limited to 50 without a use permit; the county would allow an applicant to combine contiguous parcels under common ownership for the acreage calculation. She said the weights in the chart were taken from Farm Bureau materials and other county and university tables, and that dairy/confined‑animal facilities are regulated separately.
Commissioners asked how mixed species would be handled and whether weights reflected average mature sizes. Staff said mixed‑species properties would be evaluated using the unit conversions, the 2-per‑acre limit and the 25‑animal cap for larger quadrupeds; the Farm Bureau‑drafted weights were chosen as best fit for Tulare County and the Agricultural Advisory Committee recommended them.
No formal commission action on the animal‑unit language was recorded at the hearing; staff indicated the proposal would be incorporated into the agricultural zoning updates and brought forward as part of the broader code process.
