When allowed by Section
17.06.050 (Land use and permit tables) in the applicable zone, farmworker dwelling units and farmworker housing complexes are subject to the requirements of this section. Agricultural (farm) employee (farmworker) housing does not include a hotel, motel, bed and breakfast lodging or recreational vehicle park.
Farmworker housing provided by the employer and maintained in connection with the work or place where work is being performed must comply with all provisions of Section
17008(a) of the California Health and Safety Code. Farmworker housing not maintained in connection with any workplace and provided by someone other than an agricultural employer must comply with all provisions of Section
17008(b) of the California Health and Safety Code.
Every person, or agent or officer thereof, constructing, operating, or maintaining farmworker housing shall comply with the requirements of this section and all applicable health, safety and building codes and standards.
A. Permit Requirements. Farmworker housing for agricultural (farm) employees and their families consisting of up to 36 beds in a group quarters (farmworker housing complex) or up to 12 farmworker dwelling units shall be allowed subject to the same fees applicable to an agricultural use. In the event the housing units are converted to some other use, the units shall be subject to all applicable zoning ordinance standards existent at the time of conversion.
1. All agricultural farm employee housing must comply with county regulations and permitting requirements which includes, but is not limited to: building construction, sewage disposal, and water supply, prior to occupancy of the housing units.
a. No person shall construct, reconstruct, erect, install, relocate or alter any building used for human habitation, building accessory thereto, or other housing accommodations, intended to be used for farmworker housing or any electrical, mechanical, or plumbing equipment or installation in farmworker housing, without first obtaining necessary permits from Placer County.
b. Except as otherwise permitted or required by Division 13, Part 1.5 of the
Health and Safety Code (State Housing Law), all buildings and structures subject to the State Housing Law shall be constructed in accordance with the requirements contained in Parts 2, 3, 4 and 5, Title 24, California Administrative Codes.
c. Construction permits for the permanent installation of the facilities to accommodate mobile homes and recreational vehicles shall be obtained from the enforcement agency which has responsibility for the enforcement of the Mobilehome Parks Act, Division 13, Part 2.1, of the
Health and Safety Code.
d. The use of tents, recreational vehicles or other mobile camping equipment for agricultural farm employees shall not occur for more than 30 calendar days in any 180 consecutive day period. Incidental camping shall be conducted so as to create no health, fire or other safety hazard. For five or more workers, a permit to operate from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) must be been obtained and maintained (see subsection
E of this section).
e. In the FOR and TPZ zone districts, tents, recreational vehicles or other mobile camping equipment for agricultural farm employees may be used for up to 90 days annually.
f. The minimum parcel size for farmworker housing shall be 2.3 acres.
2. Farmworker Dwelling Unit. Housing for up to six agricultural (farm) employees or one farm employee and his or her household is an allowed use in the RA, RF, AE, F, TPZ, and FOR zone districts.
A farmworker dwelling unit must meet California Code and county minimum dwelling size standards and shall not be subdivided from the primary parcel. At least one parking space per dwelling unit shall be provided.
A farmworker dwelling unit does not need to be located on the site of a qualifying agricultural operation where the farmworkers are employed.
3. Farmworker Housing Complex. A farmworker housing complex is an allowed use in the RA, RF, AE, F, TPZ and FOR zone districts, with up to 36 beds in group quarters and 12 units designed for use by single families or house-holds. A farmworker housing complex does not need to be located on the site of a qualifying agricultural operation where the farmworkers are employed.
For farmworker housing complexes in group living quarters, such as barracks and bunkhouses, the minimum floor area used for sleeping purposes is 50 square feet for each occupant. At least one parking space per unit or one space per three beds, whichever is more, as well as one space per farmworker housing complex employee shall be provided.
B. Farmworker Verification. Permanent farmworker dwelling units and farmworker housing complexes require the completion of a farmworker housing verification form prior to building permit application submittal. The verification form shall include information regarding the housing type, number of dwelling units or beds, length of occupancy, number of occupants, occupants' employment information, and, for farmworker housing for five or more workers, proof that a permit to operate from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has been obtained and maintained (see subsection
E of this section).
The verification form shall be submitted annually by May 15th of each year to the planning services division director or designee, in a form acceptable to the planning services division director, that all the dwelling units or sleeping quarters are being rented to and occupied by persons who meet the agricultural (farm) employee employment criteria established in Section
17.04.030 ("Agricultural (farm) employee").
At a minimum, the verification form must contain the following information:
1. Entity responsible for housing maintenance and upkeep;
2. Description of whether the housing will be based on a permanent, temporary, and/or seasonal basis;
3. Total number of people to be housed on-site at any one time;
4. Description of the housing, including, whether the structures will be permanent and/or temporary, intended as units for families, one person or several persons, and cost of the units and utilities to the workers;
5. Location(s) of where the employees will work;
6. Assessment of how much water will be used by the proposed development and description of how water is proposed to be supplied to the housing and how the water system complies with all applicable state and local potable water supply requirements; and
7. Description of the sewage disposal method, such as septic systems, to be used to service the housing and how the sewage disposal method complies with all applicable state and local potable water supply requirements.
C. Location of Housing. Farmworker housing shall be located not less than 75 feet from barns, pens, or other structures that house livestock or poultry. The housing must be located off prime and productive agricultural land, unless no other alternative locations exist on-site. On parcels adjacent to residential multifamily (RM) or residential single-family (RS) zoned property, year-round farmworker housing must be set back a minimum of 200 feet from the property line adjacent to the residential zoning district. Otherwise, farmworker housing shall comply with the setback requirements of the applicable zoning district.
D. Removal of Housing. Farmworker housing is subject to removal within 45 days (or converted to another approved use) if the agricultural employment upon which the need for the unit(s) is based is eliminated. This section shall not apply if a showing is made that elimination of the agricultural use for no more than 24 months is related to the long-term functioning of agriculture on the site(s) used to establish the housing need (e.g., crop rotation, replanting, disease or the like).
E. State Reporting Requirements. Farmworker housing for five or more employees is subject to the permitting requirements of the California Housing Employee Act. The property owner shall obtain and maintain a permit(s) with the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), pursuant to the Employee Housing Act and the California Code of Regulations, Title 25, Division
1, Chapter
1, Sections
600 through
940, prior to occupancy of the housing units. A copy of the HCD permit shall be provided to the planning services director within 14 days of issuance or at the time of building permit application submittal, whichever is earlier.
F. Number of Housing Units Allowed. No more than 36 beds in a group quarters or up to 12 farmworker dwelling units or spaces designed for use by a single family or household are allowed on an individual parcel. The planning commission may authorize additional beds or units or a combination of group quarters and farmworker dwelling units through conditional use permit approval (Section
17.58.130), based on the commission making specific findings that document the necessity for the number of approved units.
(Ord. 5692-B § 13, 2012; Ord. 5895-B § 7, 2017; Ord. 6144-B § 28, 2022)