Silverado and Modjeska are zoned A1, and no numeric cap on horses applies. That is true — but not because Orange County has no limit. The county’s one-per-5,000 rule applies only where the (E) district is mapped, and it is not mapped here.
The real constraints are fire — both canyons are Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone — and a 25 ft separation from a neighbour’s window.
The canyons have no horse limit — and that needs explaining
Silverado and Modjeska Canyon are unincorporated Orange County, zoned A1 (General Agriculture). There is no numeric cap on how many horses you may keep on a canyon parcel.
That is true, and it is routinely stated wrongly. Orange County does have a numeric limit — § 7-9-41.3(b), one equine per 5,000 square feet — but it applies only where the (E) Equine Combining District is mapped. There are six (E) polygons in the whole county and all of them are in the Lemon Heights, Cowan Heights and North Tustin area, miles from the canyons. So the limit exists countywide as a rule and does not reach here as applied.
The cleanest confirmation is in what was repealed: § 4-1-142, keeping livestock near dwellings, was repealed by Ordinance 2836 on May 6, 1975, and the slot still reads “Reserved.”
What does govern
- § 7-9-105(d): pens, cages and other structures specifically for keeping birds or animals “shall be located at least twenty-five (25) feet from any residential window located on an adjoining building site.”
- A1 base standards: four-acre minimum building site; 20 feet front, 5 feet side, 25 feet rear.
- Commercial stables require a use permit. Keeping animals for any commercial purpose is prohibited in residential districts.
- § 4-2-5 defines a “horse stable” as any location where three or more horses are maintained. That is not a cap — it is a pest-abatement classification that brings the property within the County Health Officer's abatement authority at three horses.
The Silverado-Modjeska Specific Plan (Resolution 77-1436, August 31, 1977) governs the area but describes itself as a policy document and contains no horse-count rule. The Foothill/Trabuco Specific Plan does not apply — its mapped boundary stops south of Modjeska.
Fire is the real constraint here
Both canyons sit in a State Responsibility Area classified Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone — confirmed by GIS at multiple points, on the map the County adopted by Ordinance 25-015 on August 26, 2025.
For a horse property that is not an abstraction. It drives insurance availability and cost, defensible space obligations, and the practical question of whether you can get a trailer out under an evacuation order on a canyon road. Ask about insurance before you are in escrow, not during.
Septic is the other one. Orange County has no approved Local Agency Management Program — the Santa Ana Regional Water Quality Control Board still listed it as under review as of February 2026 — so onsite wastewater systems fall under the statewide OWTS Policy tiers.
Not verified: whether specific canyon parcels take retail water from Irvine Ranch Water District or rely on private wells. A district's boundary is not the same as a connection. Ask per parcel.
Verified September 6, 2026. Confirm zoning and any animal question with Orange County Planning, and fire hazard classification and insurance availability with your carrier, before relying on any of it. This page is written by a real estate broker, not by the County.
Looking for horse property in Silverado / Modjeska Canyon?
Equestrian properties in Silverado / Modjeska Canyon are a small market, and a good number of them change hands before they ever reach the public portals. Sharon hears about those first — through the barns, the trainers and the neighbours, which is a network you cannot subscribe to.
- Tell her what you need — acreage, stalls, arena, ride-out access, turnout, water.
- She will send you what is on the market now that actually fits, not everything with a fence.
- And she will tell you about the ones that are not listed yet.
Selling in Silverado / Modjeska Canyon
The buyer who will pay the most for your Silverado / Modjeska Canyon property is an equestrian, and equestrians do not find properties the way ordinary buyers do. They hear about them at the barn, in the horse press, and from their trainer. That is the audience Sharon markets to.
