Olympia City Council approves urban agriculture code updates, opens opportunity for community farming

The Olympia City Council adopted urban agriculture code updates that allow farming in most residential and commercial zones, as well as ease restrictions on livestock within the city.

The changes, approved unanimously on its first reading at a council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13, updated several sections of code that allow property owners to use their land for growing food, keeping limited livestock, and related farm activities either as the main use of the property or alongside another use, such as housing or a business.

Previously, agriculture was allowed only as a secondary use, such as a garden behind a house. The update removes that limitation.

Community Planning and Economic Development Associated Planner Casey Schaufler said limiting agriculture to a secondary use has restricted the use of vacant and underutilized land. He said the update opens new opportunities for vacant lots and larger properties.

Schaufler, who presented the proposal at the council meeting, noted agriculture would be allowed in most residential and commercial zones, but auto services and industrial zones are exempt because they are not compatible with farming.

According to Schaufler, the changes are supported by the city’s recently adopted Olympia 2045 Comprehensive Plan, including an updated Goal 29, which “encourages local food production in collaboration with community partners to increase self-sufficiency, reduce environmental impact, adapt to future climate conditions, promote health and humane treatment of animals, and support the local economy.”

Livestock regulations

The code update also addresses rules for keeping agricultural animals, with different guidelines for properties based on size.

Properties of 2 acres or more are regulated using the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) animal unit guidelines. It determines the number of larger livestock that can be kept based on acreage.

Smaller parcels are limited to animals suitable for urban lots, such as chickens, turkeys, quail, and small-scale beekeeping with specified setbacks and protection requirements.

Council member Dani Madrone, who also chairs the Land Use and Environment Committee, briefly discussed enforcement issues, such as noise, odor, pests, runoff and other farming-related concerns.

She said code enforcement will continue to be complaint-driven, with an emphasis on voluntary compliance and education.

Madrone added that the city’s contract with the Thurston Conservation District provides technical assistance to help resolve problems before any punitive action is taken.

Water access

Schaufler acknowledged water access remains a challenge for some urban sites. He said Public Works Department staff have indicated support of allowing temporary use of metered fire hydrants for irrigation, provided certain conditions are met, including backflow prevention and a refundable meter deposit, regular meter readings and adherence to water-conservation limits.

The city plans to pilot the approach at six to 10 community or food security sites for one growing season to evaluate costs, compliance and impacts before considering broader policy changes.

Pet limit

The code updates also tackled traditional household pets. The proposal initially recommended increasing the household pet limit and removing a restriction that allowed no more than three animals of any species.

Earlier in the meeting, Joint Animal Services (JAS) in Olympia raised concerns that the existing limit can prevent adoptions and foster placements.

Speaking during the council’s public comment segment, JAS Executive Director Sarah Hawk expressed support for code changes, particularly regarding household pet limits. She said the traditional three-pet cap often creates challenges in practice.

“When someone comes to us to adopt or foster a pet, we require to verify all animals in the household are licensed. This process often reveals that a family has already had three or more pets for the previous limit, and that means we have to deny an adoption or a foster,” Hawk told council members.

“Many of these families are responsible pet owners who are trying to help by adopting or fostering through the shelter, yet they are penalized for engaging with the system.”

After extensive discussion, council members agreed to retain the initial proposal of a six-pet household limit, while removing the “no more than three of any species” rule.

Mayor Pro Tem Yen Huynh said she does not see the need to lift the limit to six.

“I worry about sanitation issues, and while we have mechanisms to respond if problems are reported, I would not want the policy to be so loose that it creates new issues," she said.

Huynh added she is concerned about the quality of life for the pets, having so many without regard to property size. Other council members cited similar concerns about sanitation, animal welfare and the lack of broader public review.

The code changes stemmed from work by an urban farming work group formed in 2020, with recommendations delivered to the Olympia Land Use and Environment Committee in 2021 and 2022.

The city has partnered with the Thurston Conservation District to expand community gardens, connect farmers to vacant land and remove regulatory barriers.

Schaufler pointed out the city currently lacks staffing and funding to run an agro park. The immediate focus now is on removing code barriers to support private and community-based agriculture.