Approve an exemption from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and conduct Final Reading and Adoption of the Accessory Animal Husbandry and Livestock Keeping Regulations Zoning Code Amendment
Waive final reading, read by title only, and adopt an Ordinance to amend American Canyon Municipal Code Sections 19.05.090, 19.05.100, 19.10.040, and 19.31.020 to remove the prohibition on swine, limit livestock keeping to the Residential Estate (RE) Zoning district, and remove obsolete General Plan policy references.
Brent Cooper, AICP, Community Development Director
Matthew Summers, City Attorney
On September 1, 2026, the City Council approved the first reading of an Ordinance approving a proposed Zoning Code Amendment that would revise three sections of the American Canyon Municipal Code related to animal husbandry and livestock keeping. These include:
1) Remove language that currently excludes swine from the definition of Animal Husbandry in ACMC Section 19.05.090 and 2) removes the same prohibition from the definition of Livestock Keeping in ACMC section 19.05.100. This amendment would allow swine to be kept wherever animal husbandry or livestock keeping is otherwise permitted under the zoning code, subject to all existing animal keeping standards, lot size requirements, setbacks, and nuisance regulations.
3) The amendment also provides that animal husbandry and livestock keeping is permitted as an accessory use only in the Residential Estate (RE) zoning district.
If the final reading is approved, the Ordinance will become effective 30 days later on October 15, 2026. A copy of the Ordinance is included as Attachment 1.
Community and Sense of Place: "Build on the strength of our local community to develop a clear 'sense of place' and establish our unique identity."
Not applicable.
The proposed amendment is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because it can be seen with certainty that the amendment will not have a significant effect on the environment. The amendment does not authorize new development and retains all existing operational standards governing animal keeping.
The proposed amendments do not authorize new development, increase development density, expand the geographic area where livestock keeping or animal husbandry is allowed, or eliminate existing operational standards applicable to animal keeping. Rather, the amendments remove the prohibition on swine within existing use classifications, reduce and clarify where livestock keeping and animal husbandry are permitted, and retain all existing standards governing lot size, setbacks, maintenance, sanitation, nuisance prevention, and code enforcement. Accordingly, the amendments will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment and are exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3). The proposed amendments are also exempt under CEQA Guidelines Section 15305 (Minor Alterations in Land Use Limitations) because they constitute minor modifications to land use regulations and do not change land use designations, density, or development intensity.
Level 0: No Further Public Communication Needed
1. Ordinance Animal Keeping Zoning