The Livingston County Board of Supervisors has designated the month of September as the thirty-day annual period for submission of petitions by landowners to join an existing Agricultural District.
Effective September 17, 2004, the New York State Agricultural and Markets Law was amended with Section 303-b, which allows for parcels to be added into Agricultural Districts on an annual basis. In the past, landowners had to wait until an Agricultural District “opened up” for review – typically once every eight years – to request inclusion into an agricultural district. With the revision to the Agriculture and Markets Law, every county that contains a certified agricultural district is required to establish an annual thirty-day period for landowners to submit requests for inclusion of “viable agricultural land” — land that is highly suitable for a commercial farm operation — into an Agricultural District.
Landowners must submit their requests, along with the tax map identification number and a description of the farming activities on the land, within the thirty-day period in order to be considered for inclusion into an Agricultural District. Landowners may not request to be taken out of an Agricultural District. Requests for removal may only be granted when an Agricultural District is undergoing its eight-year review.
After September 30, 2022, the Livingston County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board (AFPB) has thirty days to review requests and report to the Livingston County Board of Supervisors its recommendation as to whether the land to be included in the Agricultural District consists predominantly of “viable agricultural land” and whether the inclusion of such land would serve the public interest by assisting in maintaining a viable agricultural industry within the district.
The recommendation of the AFPB is forwarded to the Board of Supervisors to hold a public hearing for acceptance. After the public hearing, the Board of Supervisors sends the resolution to include new parcels into existing Agricultural Districts to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, where the request will be reviewed and certified.
Questions about the thirty-day Agricultural District inclusion period can be directed to the Livingston County Planning Department at (585) 243-7550. Petitions for inclusion should be submitted to the Livingston County Planning Department before September 30, 2022, 6 Court Street – Room 305, Geneseo, N.Y., 14454.
Stay up-to-date with the latest news, events and more by following Livingston County on Twitter and Instagram.
