Sonoma County to rewrite controversial rules establishing size limits on rural buildings

Sonoma County officials are pulling back on a new policy that imposed limits on how much homeowners are allowed to build on their land, following a barrage of complaints from property owners concerned about the rules.

Tennis Wick, director of the Permit and Resource Management Department, last week defended the policy that went into effect July 1, saying it simply streamlined county rules already in place in planning and building codes.

But after a more careful examination, Wick said, he’s changed his mind.

“We definitely over-reached,” Wick said. “I hear that people were frustrated.”

The policy limited the amount of square-footage property owners are allowed to build on residential land for some structures, including work sheds, garages and barns, to a total of 3,000 square feet for the lifetime of the property.

Over the past two weeks, the county has received numerous complaints from property owners vexed by or opposed to the building limits.

Ryan Giannecchini, who owns SC Barns Building and Fence, brought his concerns to Wick and other county officials last week. He asked Wick to point out what rules in the county’s building and zoning codes define a 3,000-square foot limit.

“That wasn’t in there,” Giannecchini said. “They were very receptive to what I had to say, so kudos to them for stepping up to the plate and making changes quickly.”

The policy has been rescinded and removed from the county’s website.

Wick acknowledged that current county rules do not specify a 3,000-square-foot limit for all detached structures, combined.

“All we’re trying to do with the new policy is take existing law and apply it to the same project so customers don’t get stuck in a regulatory trap,” he said. “People have been struggling, like staff has, through each one of these codes. But we’re not trying to create new legislation. That’s why anywhere there isn’t something in the law, I’m taking a second look at.”

Wick said he is rewriting the policy with looser limits. Structures, including barns, workshops, pool houses and other buildings on residential land, will have significantly fewer limits. Pool houses, for example, will have no size restrictions, and detached structures will have a 3,000-square-foot limit per building, unless it has a dividing wall. In those cases, the building can be larger. “We realized these regulations were restrictive and had no basis in code,” Wick said.

Wick is also seeking public input from property owners. The joint Board of Zoning Adjustments and Planning Commission is expected to take up the issue at a public hearing set for July 30.

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com.