Yorba Linda — Orange County
Six animals on one acre — and it is a combined cap, not a horse limit.
Yorba Linda sets the number by lot size, in bands, starting at 10,000 square feet. A one-acre lot gets six. Not eight, which is the figure circulating on at least three local agent sites.
15,000 sq ft +
In the R-A, RLD and R-E zones.
10,000–15,000 sq ft
Planning Commission hearing. No one can promise the outcome in advance.
6 animals
Then two more for each additional acre.
50 ft
Any adjoining dwelling, measured exclusive of the garage.
50 ft
From any dwelling — the wording is broader than the animal rule above it.
Maximum equine and cleft-hoofed animals, by lot size
| 10,000 – 15,000 sq ft | 1 |
|---|---|
| 15,001 – 17,000 sq ft | 2 |
| 17,001 – 20,000 sq ft | 3 |
| 20,001 – 25,000 sq ft | 4 |
| 25,001 – 30,000 sq ft | 5 |
| 30,001 sq ft – one acre | 6 |
| Each additional acre | +2 |
Yorba Linda Municipal Code § 18.20.630(E), Table 18.20-1
What catches people out
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№ 01
It is not a horse limit
The table is headed “Maximum Number of Equine and Cleft-Hoofed Animals.” Horses, goats, sheep and cattle all draw from the same pool. On a 20,001 sq ft lot — four animals — three horses and two goats is five, and five is over. Count everything with hooves before you count acreage.
-
№ 02
Miniatures cut the other way
Miniature horses, miniature goats and pot-bellied pigs are regulated the same as dogs and cats under § 18.20.630(A). They do not draw from the equine table at all — they draw from the three-animal domestic limit, cumulatively with any dogs and cats you own.
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№ 03
A 12,000 sq ft lot is not a horse property
It is a lot on which you may apply to keep one horse. If a listing describes a sub-15,000 sq ft parcel as “horse property,” ask whether a CUP was ever actually issued — and ask to see it.
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№ 04
The arena carve-out has a price
Arenas are excluded from the 50-foot barn-and-stable rule. But an arena closer than 50 feet to an adjoining dwelling may be used no more than two hours per day, and must control dust. That is a real constraint on anything being sold as a training facility, and it does not appear in listing copy.
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№ 05
The 24-hour manure rule is a safe harbour, not a mandate
§ 18.20.680 sets a performance standard first — dust, odours, flies and noise must not adversely affect other property. The 24-hour and 7-day figures are the recommended route to it, binding only if no other sufficient technique is used. The obligation is the outcome.
Yorba Linda Municipal Code, eCode360 — includes legislation through Ord. No. 2026-1129, adopted 21 April 2026.
This page reports what the published code says. It is not a zoning determination and it is not legal advice. Ordinances change, and the answer for a specific parcel can turn on its zone, its slope, its recorded easements or a permit issued decades ago. Before you rely on any of it, confirm with City of Yorba Linda Planning Division — and Sharon will make that call with you.
Take it with you
The Yorba Linda rules as a PDF.
Code sections and all, formatted to bring to a showing or hand to your agent. No email required — the file is right here.
Download the PDF Or ask Sharon about a specific parcel
Slope, recorded easements, whether a conditional use permit was ever actually issued — those decide whether a property works and none of them are published. Sharon has sold horse property in Yorba Linda; call her on (714) 606-7136.