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
[email protected] 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: [email protected]