Agricultural  District Annual Additions (303-b)

New York State Agriculture and Markets Law (NYSAML), Article 25AA § 303-b establishes a process whereby landowners have an opportunity each year to request their property be added to an existing Columbia County Agricultural District. The annual 30-day period for Columbia County is the month of October. At the end of October, all requests for inclusion in an agricultural district are referred to the Columbia County Agriculture and Farmland Protection Board (AFPB). The AFPB then has 30-days to report to the Columbia County Board of Supervisors (CCBOS) its recommendations as to whether the land to be included in the agricultural district consists predominantly of "viable agricultural land" and the inclusion of such land would serve the public interest. (NYSAML Article 25AA).

The CCBOS then holds a public hearing to receive public comment. After the public hearing, the CCBOS shall adopt or reject the inclusion of the land into an existing agricultural district. This action must be taken no later than 120 days after the end of the annual 30-day period. The CCBOS resolution and AFBP report are then forwarded to NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets (NYSDAM) for review. If approved by NYSDAM, the properties are added to one of the existing Columbia County agricultural districts. Tax parcels may only be added to, not removed from, an agricultural district during this 30-day period.

Landowners interested in having their agricultural land included in one of the 10 existing agricultural districts through the 303-b process must submit a completed application to:

Clerk of the Board
Columbia County Board of Supervisors
401 State Street
Hudson, NY 12534

Completed applications are only accepted during the month of October, and must be received before 4:00 PM, October 31

Additional Resources:

• NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets FAQs

• NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets - Ag District Program