Horse Property for Sale in Santa Paula, CA

Santa Paula horse property at a glance

• Three zones, as of 2026: Every Santa Paula ranch for sale on this page carries the MLS Horse Allowed flag, which is not a permit. Inside city limits, as of 2026, the residential code allows horses only in the Hillside Residential (HR-PD) and Rural Residential (R-A) zones, and the Agricultural (A-1) zone allows them by permit.
• Half an acre per horse: HR-PD and R-A lots may keep one horse, mule or other equine per half acre. Stables, barns and corrals sit at least 50 feet from any home, 100 feet from the front lot line and 20 feet from interior side and rear lines.
• A-1 takes a permit: In the City’s A-1 zone, where new lots must be at least 20 acres, horses are conditionally permitted at up to two per acre, and any animal keeping goes through a Conditional Use Permit.
• County rules past the city line: About 94 percent of the land in ZIP 93060 lies outside any city, per Census 2020 files. There, County zoning governs: its Agricultural Exclusive zone has a 40-acre minimum lot, and a horse standing over 58 inches at the withers is one animal unit, kept 40 feet from off-site homes.

Questions for the seller

Ask which zone the parcel carries and whether any animal permit was granted. Keeping more animals than the code lists takes a Conditional Use Permit, a commercial animal operation is possible only in R-A among residential zones, and stables in A-1 also need a permit. On County land, manure must be stored where natural forces cannot move it into the County storm drain system or nearby waters.

Check the fire zone early. Since January 1, 2026, Ventura County Fire, which serves Santa Paula, has required sellers in a Very High or High Fire Hazard Severity Zone to give buyers defensible-space documentation; it advises allowing at least two weeks for the inspection.

Santa Paula horse property questions, answered

Are there riding trails near town?

The City’s 2040 General Plan calls for hiking and equestrian trails along flood control channels and utility rights-of-way, from the mountains to the river, and asks annexations to dedicate pedestrian and equestrian links to open space. Those are policies, not a trail map, so ask what access a property has.

Can chickens share an R-A lot with the horses?

Yes, within limits. An R-A lot larger than one acre may keep up to 25 small animals, no more than 12 of them poultry, with roosters, geese, turkeys and peafowl excluded; pens stay 25 feet from any dwelling. Compare all Santa Paula homes for sale or have a Santa Paula real estate agent check the zoning first.