Sonoma County Winery Events: Draft Ordinance Published

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — An ordinance that once approved will set new standards for winery events in Sonoma County, including noise regulations, parking requirements, traffic management, food service and event coordination, has been published by Permit Sonoma and will be presented in June to the county's Planning Commission and in August to the county's Board of Supervisors.

"The wine industry plays a critical role in Sonoma’s economy," said Tennis Wick, Director of Permit Sonoma. "We are proud to work with the industry and neighbors to develop regulations which balance winery needs while protecting our rural communities and agriculture."

The standards laid out in the Winery Events Ordinance will provide a baseline for how the County balances preservation of agricultural areas with sustainable development of wine industry events when evaluating individual projects and their impacts.

Permit Sonoma will look to these standards when considering new and modified use permit applications for winery visitor-serving uses. The draft ordinance gives consistency and clarity to the permit evaluation process, reduces impacts to surrounding properties, protects agricultural lands, and preserves rural character, Permit Sonoma said in a news release.

"This draft is the culmination of years of outreach and engagement with stakeholders and communities across the county," Permit Sonoma said. "In addition to noise and traffic studies, the ordinance is informed by community input received during numerous stakeholder meetings and community workshops, including a 195-person public workshop on Feb. 18."

Additionally, Permit Sonoma worked with three areas with a concentration of visitor-serving wineries in Sonoma Valley, Westside Road and Dry Creek Valley to establish supplemental local guidelines for their respective communities.

Staff will present the draft to the Planning Commission during a virtual public hearing scheduled for 1:50 p.m. June 3 at 1:50 p.m. Members of the public can watch, listen and participate in the hearing through Zoom or by phone.

Those who would like to submit written comments to the Planning Commission about the draft Winery Events Ordinance can do so via email to PRMD-WineryEvents@sonoma-county.org by 5 p.m. May 28.

Following the Planning Commission hearing, staff with Permit Sonoma expect to present the final draft Winery Events Ordinance to the Board of Supervisors for approval Aug. 17.

The draft ordinance can be viewed on the Winery Events web page.

The agenda for the virtual Planning Commission hearing and Permit Sonoma's staff report will be posted on the Planning Commission Calendar one week before the hearing.

For more information about the public hearing or to review project files digitally, send an email to PRMD-WineryEvents@sonoma-county.org or call 707-565-1900 and select option 5.