Zoning change approved for confined animal feeding for DeKalb County

If a farm exceeds a prescribed number of animals, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management considers it a confined feeding operation. The county’s change will allow CFOs with up to two times the IDEM standard to operate in five zoning districts in DeKalb County: A1 conservation agricultural, A2 agricultural, A3 high-intensity agricultural, I2 low-intensity agricultural and I3 high-intensity agricultural.

For a CFO with more than twice the number of animals in IDEM’s definition, a location must be zoned I2, I3 or A3. In A3 zoning, a CFO that large would have to apply for a special exception from the Board of Zoning Appeals. A special exception would not be required in I2 or I3 zoning, but a development plan for the operation still would be reviewed by the Plan Commission.