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Agricultural Districts

The purpose of agricultural districting is to encourage the continued use of farmland for agricultural production. This New York State Agriculture and Markets program is based on a combination of landowner incentives and protections, all of which are designed to forestall the conversion of farmland to non-agricultural uses. Included in these benefits are preferential real property tax treatment (agricultural assessment) and protections against private nuisance suits involving agricultural practices, government funded acquisition or construction projects, and overly restrictive local laws.  New York State Agriculture and Markets provides guidance documents on local laws and agricultural districts

There are two agricultural districts in Tompkins County.  Agricultural District #1 covers the eastern half of Tompkins County and includes lands in the Towns of Lansing, Groton, Dryden, Caroline and parts of Danby and Ithaca.  The district encompasses 101,898 acres, which include 55, 876 acres of land that is owned and rented by farmers for farming purposes.  Agricultural District #2 covers the western half of Tompkins County and includes lands in the Towns of Ulysses, Enfield, Newfield, and parts of Danby and Ithaca.  The district encompasses 66,552 acres, which includes 33,492 acres of land that is owned and rented by farmers for farming purposes.

These districts are reviewed and updated every eight years.  Agricultural District #1 was last updated in 2004, and Agricultural District #2 was last updated in 2000.  Landowners are also permitted during the month of November each year to submit requests to the county legislature for inclusion of viable agricultural lands into one of the established districts.  For more information on inclusion in the Agricultural Districts contact Cooperative Extension at 607-272-2292.

For more information on the New York State Agriculture and Markets Agricultural Districts program, click here
 link to http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/AP/agservices/agdistricts.html

For guidance documents for farmers and local governments on Agricultural Districts, click here
link to http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/AP/agservices/new305/guidance.pdf

For more information on the Tompkins County Department of Assessment’s real property tax treatment of agricultural land, please visit their website and review programs on Agricultural Assessment
link to http://www.tompkins-co.org/assessment/

Tompkins County
Planning Department

121 E. Court Street
Ithaca, New York 14850

Phone: (607) 274-5560  
Fax: (607) 274-5578