Time to Get Into a New York State Certified Agricultural District 

The Ulster County Legislature will accept requests from landowners wanting to have their agricultural lands included within a NYS Certified Agricultural District from March 2 through March 30, 2020.

Landowners seeking inclusion into a New York State Certified Agricultural District must submit a completed Agricultural District Inclusion Application with tax map identification number(s) and a copy of the relevant portion to the tax map to Burt Samuelson, Ulster County Planning Department, 244 Fair St., PO Box 1800, Kingston, NY 12402-1800 during this application period and no later than the close of business on Monday, March 30, 2020. Applications may be mailed or hand delivered.

The Agricultural District Inclusion Application and information about Agricultural Districts are available on the Planning Department’s website at http://ulstercountyny.gov/planning/annual-agricultural-district-inclusions. Interested parties may also request an application by contacting Burt Samuelson at (845) 339-2490 or via email at bsam[at]co.ulster.ny[dot]us.

Agricultural District Law adopted by the New York State Legislature in 1971 provides for the creation of Agricultural Districts to protect and promote the availability of land for farming purposes.  Lands within Districts are protected from unreasonable local regulation of farm practices, the acquisition by public entities through the use of eminent domain, and the advance of public funds to construct facilities that encourage non-farm development.  Additionally, land used in agricultural production within an Agricultural District is not subject to benefit assessments, special ad valorem levies or other rates and fees for the financing of improvements such as water, sewer or non-farm drainage.

Ulster County has four certified Agricultural Districts containing over 71,000 acres of farmland.