Published on May 13, 2025
Community members now allowed to sell produce at residences
The City of Lincoln today announced that municipal codes now allow onsite sales of produce grown at individual residences and community gardens. The City Council approved the changes to the Urban Garden Policy at its meeting May 12.
“The new Urban Garden Policy will increase access to healthy food for all residents while allowing community members to grow and share specialized produce that might otherwise be difficult to find locally,” said Kim Morrow, Chief Sustainability Officer.
There are two major changes to Lincoln Municipal Code regarding the Urban Garden Policy:
Individual homeowners are allowed to operate urban gardens as a primary use in residential districts and sell produce and plants onsite. Owners of group-managed urban gardens in residential districts also are allowed to sell produce and plants onsite. Groups may continue to operate urban gardens as a primary use on a residential lot.
Conditions for individuals to operate urban gardens as a primary use on a vacant lot and sell homegrown items onsite include:
Produce and plants must be unprocessed and grown onsite.
Sales are limited to eight days per calendar month and 30 days per calendar year.
Sales infrastructure such as a sales table or display area may only be present when sales are occurring.
Signage may not exceed two square feet.
Total building area in gardens is limited to 150 square feet for sheds and 500 square feet for greenhouses.
Keeping animals is prohibited.
Please note: Soil testing is not a requirement from the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department. However, it is still considered a best practice, especially when growing food for your household or for sale. Learn more about how to find a soil test in Lincoln and why healthy soil matters for safe and successful gardening.
Urban gardening is now included as a home occupation. Clarifications of conditions for urban gardening as a home occupation include:
Garden areas do not require screening.
Garden areas are no longer limited to 20% of the dwelling floor area.
For more information on the Urban Garden Policy, visit lincoln.ne.gov/UrbanGarden.