A few days ago I wrote of my intention to raise fish for food in my backyard but first I had to find out if it was allowed by the City of Greensboro so I made some connections and this was my reply:
"The zoning ordinance (LDO) has no standards or requirements regarding raising fish for enjoyment, as a hobby or for consumption as we do for poultry, bees and livestock. If the fish are being raised for resale as a commercial venture then that could be an issue since commercial uses are not allowed in residential zoning. We do have provisions to allow home occupations for residential zoned properties with all activities having to take place inside the residence and not to exceed 30% of the square footage of the home (among other requirements). However the ability to sell any items on premises as a home occupation is limited to "homemade items, foodstuffs and crafts", which would seem to preclude raising fish for sale.
All this is to say that if this person wants to raise fish for their own consumption (or possibly to give away to neighbors) that would be fine, but if there is any intent to sell the fish there could be some problems if they would be doing sales from a property zoned for residential purposes. If the tanks are part of some type of structure (either a separate building or something constructed in the ground) on a residential zoned lot then they would be subject to the requirements for accessory structures which are limited in size to 30% of the square footage of the residence and must be at least 5 ft. from all other structures on the lot and 3 ft. from property lines. The LDO can be referenced online at http://www.zoningplus.com/regs/greensboro/ and sections of most relevance to this discussion are:
Sec. 30-8-11-1.1, Accessory Uses and Structures Sec. 30-8-11-3, Animals and Livestock Sec. 30-8-11.5 Home Occupations
Hope that helps but if the person would like to discuss further please ask them to give us a call.
Thanks,
Mike Kirkman"
Well being that the tanks will be at least 10 feet from any property lines, above ground, not part of any structure and I'm only raising fish for family and friends I think I'm going to be in the clear and won't have to fight the City of Greensboro this time around.
A personal thanks to the person who so graciously helped me with this. You know who you are.
