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BILL NUMBER:S4960

TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to building on farm land in agricultural districts

PURPOSE: Authorizes a family member operating on a family farm to be authorized to build a home on the operating farm land property.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS: Authorizes landowners to build family homes on property classified and utilized as farm land.

This act could authorize landowners to build housing units for working family members on the farmland.

This act would not authorize the producer or landowner to create housing units for the purpose of housing developments.

JUSTIFICATION: Operating a farm is an arduous task that often involves the dedication of many family members. Often these members live in adjoining homesteads to reduce the cost of living. Currently the laws are written with the intent to prevent the creation of building homes on farmlands for the purpose of housing developments. An exception needs to exist that grants these agriculturalists to build a home for their working families to reside in without a subdivision of the property. Costs to our farms are already tremendous as the burden of property taxes often consume agricultural farms in their entirety. This bill grants these ambitious families the ability to reduce the cost of their hard work and diligence to the agriculture industry of New York State.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: A.5351 - 2009 - 2010, Held for consideration in Agriculture Committee.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None for the State.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.

Text

STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________

4960

2011-2012 Regular Sessions

IN SENATE

May 2, 2011
___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  BALL  --  read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Agriculture

AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to building
  on farm land in agricultural districts

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new
section 303-c to read as follows:
  S 303-C. AGRICULTURAL DISTRICTS; BUILDING ON FARM LAND. IN AN AGRICUL-
TURAL DISTRICT WITH A WORKING FAMILY FARM, ANY PRODUCER, AS  DEFINED  IN
SUBDIVISION  THREE  OF  SECTION  TWO HUNDRED EIGHTY-TWO OF THIS CHAPTER,
SHALL HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO BUILD A HOME ON SUCH FAMILY FARM PROPERTY.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD05527-01-1