Public Notice
30-day period of the inclusion of
predominantly viable agricultural lands
into existing agricultural districts
​
Per New York State Agriculture and Markets Law Section 303-b, the Chautauqua County
Legislature has designated January 2 through January 31 as the annual thirty-day period during which landowners may submit requests to include predominantly viable agricultural land into an existing certified agricultural district.
The Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development will accept applications from January 2 through January 31. Please submit all inclusion requests to the Department of Planning and Development, 201 West Third Street Suite 115 Jamestown, NY 14701 or email to sharpl@chqgov.com on or before 4:30 PM on January 31, 2025. Any questions on this process should be directed to the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development.
The Agricultural District Inclusion Worksheet, current Agricultural District Maps, and additional information can be found on the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development website at bit.ly/CHQaginclusion.
At the end of the thirty (30) day period, the proposed parcels requested for inclusion will be submitted to the Chautauqua County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board (AFPB). Based on the AFPB’s recommendations, a report will be prepared for the Planning and Economic Development (PED) Legislative Committee’s review. After review by the PED Legislative Committee the recommendation will be forwarded to the County Legislature for a public hearing. Following the public hearing, the Legislature will vote via resolution to accept the recommendations made by AFPB. The County Legislature will then send the resolution to the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets to certify the inclusion of lands or not. If the Commissioner certifies the inclusion of the parcels, the land will become part of the Agricultural District.
An agricultural district is a geographic area which consists predominantly of viable agricultural land. Agricultural operations within the district are the priority land use and afforded benefits and protections to promote the continuation of farms and the preservation of agricultural land. This should not be confused with the agricultural assessment program which allows eligible farmland to be taxed at its agricultural assessment. Landowners should see their local assessor to find out more information on agricultural assessment for their parcel(s).
Contact: Lauren Sharp, Junior Planner
Chautauqua County Department of Planning & Development
201 West Third Street Suite 115
Jamestown, New York, 14701
Phone: (716) 661-8245
Email: sharpl@chqgov.com