“I was just wondering if anyone has been annoyed by all the fruit stands on Pacheco Pass as you are driving east. It is getting ridiculous. It is like a free-for-all. I don’t understand how it is safe. Can you please let me know if there is a county ordinance they might be violating with all these fruit stands?”
Red Phone: Dear Taking A Stand, County officials make informal reviews of the many fruit stands in the area particularly during this time of the year to make sure they aren’t violating any rules, said Santa Clara Code Enforcement Officer Jim Lanz. He said that he wasn’t aware of any violations along Highway 152 even with the extra traffic entering and exiting the road.
The county allows stands on agricultural land as long as they meet the set of requirements set up in the Zoning Ordinance.
Farmers are allowed to sell agricultural products that are “grown predominantly on-site or on other property within Santa Clara County and operated by a single proprietor.”
They are allowed to have a stand that is less than 400 square feet and are permitted to have “operations where customers have access to the growing areas and pick the product themselves, such as Christmas tree farms, pumpkin patches and apple or fruit picking.”
Farmers can also sell their items in stands up to 1,200 square feet with an architecture and site approval permit from the county. They still have the requirement that items grown are from a single proprietor in Santa Clara County.
Farmers have the option of selling items at a farmers’ market with other farmers. But these are limited to what the zoning districts allow and require a use permit, Lanz said.
