Horsing Around in Yorba Linda....

People often ask us: “Is this house zoned for horses?” If the answer is yes, the next question is usually: “How many?!” These are good questions to ask, especially if you intend to keep horses on your newly purchased property. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to take a look at the municipal code for the city you are looking to buy in. Take Yorba Linda for example. Here are some highlights of regulations regarding the keeping of various animals on residential property in Yorba Linda.
You dog and/or cat lovers should know that you are permitted to keep a maximum of 4 (cumulative) over the age of 4 months of age. If you’ve got more than that, your home is considered a kennel and you need to apply for a conditional use permit (or give a few up for adoption). If cats or dogs aren’t exciting enough, you may keep a maximum of 10 hamsters, guinea pigs, (domesticated) rats/mice, nonpoisonous snakes/reptiles, birds or any combination thereof. There’s more, but I doubt it would apply to anyone that found their way to this post. But, just in case you were really curious, you may keep those 12 adult rabbits, just don’t buy a 13th!
Back to the horses. Assuming your property is zoned for them (R-A, RLD, R-E zones) you may keep 1 if your lot size is 10,000 - 15,000 sq ft (provided you have a conditional use permit in R-S or R-U zones), 2 if between 15,001 - 17,000 sq ft, 3 if between 17,001 - 20,000 sq ft, 4 if between 20,001 - 25,000 sq ft, 5 if between 25,001 - 30,000 sq ft, and 6 if lot is larger than 30,000, up to one acre. For each additional acre, you may keep 2 more horses.
It’s important to check when shopping for a home. You wouldn’t want to purchase a home for your 3 horses, 6 dogs, and one dozen hamsters, only to find out that you’re breaking the rules and some of those animals have to go! Make sure the property you are interested in meets your needs so that there aren’t any surprises after you move in. Better yet, let us help and take care of the details for you! The Baldo Group