Virginia is a ‘horse-friendly’ Commonwealth, where the horse owner can find ample land and horse-stabilizing facilities throughout the state. This article will focus on the Richmond, VA area and detail the county laws for the number of horses allowed on property and acreage in various Virginia counties. The selected counties stretch from the Northern Neck in the Chesapeake Bay Country to James City County, where Williamsburg is located.
Each county has different horse barn requirements, and some may even limit the number of horses per property or per acre. Although this article attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of county laws in each area, I encourage home buyers to contact the county directly once a property is finalized. For the most part, horses are allowed on properties zoned for agriculture. There may be instances where exceptions are made on residential zoned properties if they are located near an agricultural area or are protected by prior laws.
Hanover County
In this Virginia county, one horse is allowed for every acre of land.
Henrico County
The Henrico County Zoning Ordinance regulates horse ownership in three ways. In most cases, the primary requirement is that any building or yard for penning and feeding horses must be at least 400 feet from any lot in a residential zoning district and at least 200 feet from any other occupied lot. for a house. Henrico County advises horse owners to limit their stables to personal use. The extracted code reads as follows: “Own no more than three horses and/or ponies for personal enjoyment and not for business.” In that case, the barn must be at least 400 feet from any dwelling in a residential zoning district or 200 feet from any other dwelling. Measuring from the home, rather than the property line, allows for much greater flexibility in the location of buildings or yards. However, in return, this provision comes with the restriction that no more than one horse or pony is allowed per acre of fenced pasture.
James City County
If the property is zoned A-1, it is general agriculture and the county allows up to seven horses per acre. If the property is zoned R-8, rural residential, up to seven horses per acre are allowed. Horses are not allowed in the R-2 or R-1 zoned areas.
york county
Horses are allowed on properties zoned as Rural Residential (RR) or Resource Conservation (RC) properties. Homeowners must have a minimum of two usable acres, excluding home or setbacks. If a portion of the property has environmental concerns or other restrictions, this area may not be counted as usable acres. The number of horses allowed is one per usable acre. Barns must be built 100 feet from adjoining property and 100 feet from public rights-of-way. Barns must also be within 1,000 feet of drinking water reservoirs (exceptions to this are possible if a zoning administrator determines that runoff is directed away from the reservoir and public health will not be adversely affected). In addition, horses may not be stabled within 100 feet of an active well nor may runoff from the stable, pasture, or animal yard flow within 100 feet of an active well.
Isle of Wight
In this county, there must be one acre of land for personal housing and one acre of land per horse for private stables.
sussex county
Sussex County requires that the property parcel be zoned A-1 General Agricultural (with a minimum of 2 acres) for horse stables. The county is primarily agricultural. If the farm property has been subdivided, check the deed to see if there are any restrictions on horses.
Essex County
In this county the agricultural district is divided into zones A-1 and A-2. If the property is zoned A-1 or A-2, the zoning laws apply to the keeping of horses or ponies for personal enjoyment. Any building for keeping animals must be within 300 feet of any residence not located on the same property or any lot in a residential district and at least 200 feet from any residential property line. Horses are not allowed in most residential areas.
King George County
Horses are only allowed in the A-1 or A-2 agricultural zone districts. According to King George County zoning, “Ownership of a horse shall require a minimum lot area of two acres [dedicated to pasturing] plus one acre for each additional horse. Horses may not be kept in a subdivision with lots smaller than five acres.
Powhatan County
In this county, if a property is agriculturally zoned, there is no limit to the number of horses allowed. Generally, these properties are zoned as A-1. There are some properties zoned RR – Rural Residential. This section of Powhatan County is small and bordered by the James River in the northeast part of the county. RR is agriculturally zoned and the same laws apply to stabled horses as A-1. However, horse owners should call the county and double check the number of horses allowed on parcels in RR areas. Horse stables are limited to the residential areas of Powhatan County. Owners must have a minimum of 3 acres for a horse in R-2. For each additional horse, another acre is required and the total number of horses is capped at three horses. R-5 properties must have a minimum of 5 acres for one horse and one additional acre for each additional horse. R-5 properties are 20 acres or less.
Goochland County
In this county, any agriculturally zoned property or R-1 zoned property allows horses. Two acres are required for the first horse and an additional acre is required for each additional horse. On RR zoned properties, the parcel must be a minimum of 10 acres for stabled horses.
Richmond County
A minimum of five acres is needed for a horse, whether it is farm zoned or R-1 or R-2. Up to three horses are allowed for the first five acres. An additional acre is needed for each additional horse.
There is quite a bit of variation in horse stabling laws in these Virginia counties. The closer a county is to a town or city, the more restrictions seem to apply and the less agricultural land is available.