Agricultural zoning

Agricultural zoning is a United States land management tool that refers to local zoning designations made by United States local jurisdictions that are intended to protect farmland and farming activities from incompatible land uses.[1] Agricultural zoning can specify many factors, such as the uses allowed, minimum lot size, the number of nonfarm dwellings allowed, or the size of a buffer separating farm and nonfarm properties.[2] Some jurisdictions further subdivide agricultural zones to distinguish industrial farming from uses like rural residence farms and retirement farms on large lots.[3]

One example of such zoning is the Agricultural Reserve in Montgomery County, Maryland. The reserve was established in 1980 to preserve farmland and rural space.[4] This unique reserve contains farms that produced farm-to-table products for the local community, lessening the burden of outside pressures of cost of living.[5]

  1. ^ L, Millman (2021-01-25). "What Type of Structures Can You Build on Agricultural Land?". Millman Land. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  2. ^ Linkous, Evangeline R. (2019). "Rural Zoning: Land Use Policy in a Contested and Neglected Landscape". In Sclar, Elliott; et al. (eds.). Zoning: A Guide for 21st-Century Planning. Abingdon-on-Thames, UK: Routledge. p. 93. ISBN 9780429951251.
  3. ^ Nelson, Kevin (February 2012). "Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Rural Planning, Zoning, and Development Codes" (PDF).
  4. ^ Nelson, Arthur C.; Pruetz, Rick; Woodruff, Doug (2011). The TDR Handbook: Designing and Implementing Transfer of Development Rights Programs. Washington: Island Press. p. 141. ISBN 9781610911597.
  5. ^ "Ag Reserve,Office of Agricultural Services, Montgomery County, MD". www.montgomerycountymd.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-31.