Agricultural Sales

Overview

  • A Seasonal Agricultural Sales Permit is required for: 
    • Christmas tree lots (including those at supermarkets and hardware stores) 
    • Pumpkin patches, fruit and vegetable stands located on agriculturally-zoned land, which operate at limited times of the year 
  • An Annual Agricultural Sales Permit is required for: 
    • Year-round businesses such as the general public picking fruit from orchards and plant nurseries (excluding wholesale only plant nurseries which do not sell to the general public).  
    • Farmers Markets 
  • Be sure to submit your application at least three weeks before it is needed 
  • You will need to submit your permit application electronically through the IrvineReady! Online Permit Submittal portal 
  • If you need to obtain an Encroachment Permit in conjunction with the agricultural sales permit, you must apply for the Encroachment Permit separately  

Time Limits:  

  • Christmas tree lots may be approved and commence operation on or after November 1st for a period not to exceed 60 calendar days.  
  • Pumpkin patches may be approved and commence operation on October 1st for a period not to exceed 31 days.  
  • Fruit and vegetable stands may be approved and commence operation for a period not to exceed 120 days.  

Development Standards:  

PARKING  

  • Christmas tree lots, pumpkin patches, and similar uses shall provide 1 parking space/500 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor display area including customer walkways and paths, plus 1 parking space per employee.  
  • Fruit and vegetable stands, and similar uses shall provide 1 parking space/250 sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor display area including customer walkway and paths, plus 1 parking space per employee.  
    • These parking requirements only apply to Agricultural Sales Uses that propose to locate on vacant lots and retail centers that base parking on each use, instead of one parking ratio for the entire center.  
  • Parking will not be required for the agricultural crops/orchards growing on-site 
  • All access shall be constructed consistent with City of Irvine standard plans and all parking areas shall be surfaced consistent with Section 4-4-3.A 

OTHER 

  • All outdoor displays and products must relate to the primary operation of the Agricultural Sales business.  
  • Agricultural Sales Permits for temporary structures intended for use at 1 location for not more than 90 days may be approved on the condition that erection of such structures be subjected to field approval by the City inspection team. You will be responsible for modifying the construction of such structures for safety, as requested by the City inspection team.  
  • The maximum area on-site that may be considered inventory storage is 100 percent of the size in square feet of the display area for the use. The inventory storage area will not require additional parking. 
  • All inventory storage areas shall be screened from the public right-of-way, so that the inventory is not visible. 

Fire Department Review:  

Please contact Chantelle Abadie, Orange County Fire Department at 714-573-6184 regarding any required Special Activity Permits and Inspections for tents, flocking or fire retardant spray booths. The Orange County Fire Authority office is located at 1 Fire Authority Road in Irvine.  

Renewal:  

The recipient of an approved Agricultural Sales Permit from the previous year (same person/organization, same use, and at the same location) may submit an application for an Agricultural Sales Permit Renewal using the following procedure:  

  • Complete a new Agricultural Sales Permit application and attach a copy of the previous year's approved permit and stamped approved plan.   
  • The renewal fee shall be paid at the time of submittal.   
  • The Planning and Building Divisions shall have 5 business days to complete the review of the Renewal application.   
  • Include documentation that the applicant's Business License has been paid for the current year.  

What Documents Will be Required?  

For a printable version, click here. 

  1. APPLICATION PACKAGE. Includes: 
  • Building Permit Application 
  • Electronic/Digital Signature Disclosure 
  1. SITE PLAN. Three copies of the site plan are required.  The site plan shall identify the following:  
  • The location of the use including boundaries, adjacent streets, and site entrances and exits  
  • The location of structures, electrical power poles, lighting, parking area and temporary sanitary facilities  
  • The indoor/outdoor display area square footage, the number of employees and parking spaces  
  • The hours of operation and, the start and end date of agricultural sales  
  1. STRUCTURAL CALCULATIONS. Identifying the type, quantity and structural calculations for any proposed structures, tents, electrical power poles, etc. which will be on-site.  
  2. PROPERTY OWNER AUTHORIZATION LETTER. The owner must give written authorization for the agricultural sales to operate at the proposed site.  
  3. Business License. A City of Irvine Business License is required. Visit the Business License Office located in the Police Department or contact 949-724-7128.  
  4. The applicant shall submit a letter stating that, during the operation of the agricultural sales use and within 48 hours after the conclusion of the agricultural sales use, the applicant will clean and restore to its original condition the property and the public right-of-way fronting the property upon which the agricultural sales use is to occur. 

Optional: 

  1. Signs. One temporary banner per street or parking lot frontage is permitted. There is no fee for a Temporary Banner Permit included in the Agricultural Sales Permit. Regulations are explained in the Temporary Banner Permit Information Sheet and Application. Only annual agricultural sales uses are allowed permanent signs. Please see the regulations outlined in the sign section of the Zoning Ordinance (ZO).  
  2. Encroachment Permit. An Encroachment Permit will be required to allow access to undeveloped sites. Applications and process instructions are available through this link. 

Submittal Instructions

READY TO BEGIN? Your application must be submitted online using the IrvineReady! Online Permit Submittal Portal. We recommend keeping this webpage open in a different tab so you can refer to the information below.  

IrvineReady! works best on Google Chrome, rather than Safari or Microsoft Edge

When you click the button below to go to IrvineReady, you will first be prompted to create an account, or to log into an existing account

Video Link: How to Create an Account in IrvineReady!

After creating an account and logging in, click the green plus button to the lower right-hand side of the window to start a new submittal

In the “Project Type” drop-down menu, select “For Permitting--Other” as the permit type

Video Link: Preparing Documents for Upload into IrvineReady!

Proceed to the Irvineready! System

Next Steps

Within 5 business days following the receipt of the completed application, the initial review shall be completed. Contact the Permit Status Line 949-724-6313 to determine if your application has been approved or if there are corrections.