What Is A-2 Zoning? Agricultural Districts (and Phoenix's Heavy Industrial A-2) Explained

A-2 is the second agricultural district in codes that have more than one. What separates it from A-1 depends on the jurisdiction. In some counties A-2 is the heavier district, allowing dairies, feed yards, and other intensive operations. In others the difference is the minimum lot size. And in Phoenix, A-2 is not agricultural at all: it is the heavy industrial district.

What A-2 usually allows

In the agricultural version:

• Crop farming, orchards, nurseries, greenhouses, and forestry.
• Livestock, dairies, and, in the heavier versions, feed lots and other intensive animal operations.
• A single-family home, and often a second dwelling for family or farm workers.
• Barns, equipment storage, and other agricultural buildings.
• Farm-related businesses such as produce stands, stables, kennels, and animal hospitals, often conditionally.
• Conditional uses that need land more than neighbors: solar farms, cell towers, utility facilities, and, in some counties, mining or oil and gas wells.

Subdivision into small lots and non-farm commercial uses are prohibited or require a rezoning.

What the code usually requires

• Minimum lot size: the defining rule, and the one that varies most. Depending on the county it runs from under an acre to 10, 35, or 40 acres or more.
• Setbacks for houses and, especially, for animal facilities from property lines and neighboring homes.
• Animal density limits tied to lot area in districts near residential areas.
• Density: often one dwelling per lot or per a fixed number of acres.

How real jurisdictions define A-2

• Los Angeles County: A-2 is the Heavy Agricultural zone. Its use table allows heavier uses that A-1 (Light Agricultural) does not, such as dairies, livestock feed yards, dog kennels, and animal hospitals.
• City of Los Angeles: A2 is the Agricultural Zone (Los Angeles Municipal Code section 12.06). It allows A1 uses, one-family dwellings, farming and nurseries, and the keeping of livestock other than swine in conjunction with a residence.
• Orange County, Florida: A-2 is the Farmland Rural District, described in the code as largely land used for livestock and poultry production, while A-1 (Citrus Rural) is largely citrus, nurseries, and vegetable farms. The minimum lot for a single-family home is half an acre.
• Jefferson County, Colorado: A-2 is Agricultural-Two, with a 10-acre minimum lot area, alongside A-1 (Agricultural-One) and A-35 (Agricultural-35).
• Phoenix: A-2 is the Industrial District, the tier above A-1 (Light Industrial). City planning staff have described it as the heaviest industrial zoning in Phoenix, and it does not permit residential uses. The city's ranch and farm districts are S-1 and S-2. See our Phoenix zoning guide.
• Miami-Dade County uses AU for agricultural land. See our Miami zoning guide.

A half-acre lot in Orange County and a 10-acre lot in Jefferson County carry the same label on the map. The minimum lot size is the first number to look up.

What you can typically build

In an agricultural A-2, a home and farm structures, plus whatever the conditional-use list allows: kennels, stables, solar, and towers. Anything denser needs a rezoning or annexation into a city with urban districts, and the comprehensive plan's future land use map tells you whether that is realistic. Where the county also has a rural residential district, that is usually the next step toward smaller lots; see our RR explainer.

Phoenix's A-2 is for heavy industrial uses, not farming or housing. Our M-2 explainer covers the equivalent tier in other cities.

How to check a specific parcel

Confirm the jurisdiction (county or city) and the district on the official zoning map, then read the district's use table, minimum lot size, and animal-keeping rules. Check the comprehensive plan's future land use map and whether the parcel is inside a city's growth or utility service boundary. In Plotzy, filter a growth corridor to A-2 and equivalent designations by lot size, and ask Zoning AI "What is the minimum lot size in A-2 here, and is a second dwelling permitted?" for an answer with the section cited.

Frequently asked questions

What does A-2 zoning mean?

In most counties A-2 is an agricultural district, usually a second tier next to A-1, allowing farming, livestock, and a home on a lot that meets the district minimum. In Phoenix, A-2 is the heavy industrial district. Always check the local code.

What is the difference between A-1 and A-2?

It depends on the jurisdiction. In Los Angeles County, A-2 (Heavy Agricultural) allows more intensive uses than A-1 (Light Agricultural). In other counties the two differ mainly in minimum lot size or in how much non-farm development they allow. See our A-1 explainer.

Can I build a house on A-2 land?

Usually yes, one single-family home per lot that meets the minimum lot size, sometimes with a second dwelling for family or farm workers.

Can I subdivide A-2 land?

Only into lots that meet the district's minimum lot size. Smaller lots require a rezoning to a residential district, and many counties limit splits to protect farmland.

Sources

District names and standards on this page were checked against each jurisdiction's own code or planning documents on October 4, 2026. Codes are amended often, so confirm the current text before relying on any detail.

• Los Angeles County Code, Title 22, Sec. 22.16.020, Agricultural Zones Designated. Names of Los Angeles County's A-1 and A-2 zones.
• Los Angeles County Code, Title 22, Sec. 22.16.030, Land Use Regulations for Zones A-1, A-2, O-S, R-R, and W. Uses allowed in A-2 and not in A-1.
• Los Angeles Municipal Code, Sec. 12.06, A2 Agricultural Zone. City of Los Angeles A2 uses.
• Orange County (Florida) Code, Chapter 38, Article V, Division 2, A-1 and A-2 Agricultural Districts. Orange County A-1 and A-2 names and descriptions.
• Orange County (Florida) Code, Sec. 38-1501, Basic site and principal building requirements. Orange County A-2 minimum lot area.
• Jefferson County (Colorado) Zoning Resolution, Section 33, Agricultural District. Jefferson County A-1, A-2, and A-35 names and minimum lot areas.
• City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department: Staff Report Z-TA-2-25-Y (May 1, 2025). Names of Phoenix's A-1 and A-2 districts.
• City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department: Staff Report Z-55-25-8 (July 30, 2025). Statement that Phoenix's A-2 does not permit residential uses.
• City of Phoenix Board of Adjustment: hearing minutes, April 3, 2008. Planning staff's description of A-2 as Phoenix's heaviest industrial zoning.
• City of Phoenix Planning and Development Department: Zoning Districts with Brief Descriptions (revised July 3, 2013). Phoenix's S-1 and S-2 districts.
• Miami-Dade County Code, Chapter 33, Article XXXIII, AU, Agricultural District. Miami-Dade AU name.