2026 Monroe County Agricultural Annual Addition Process

March 2nd, 2026

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The New York State Agricultural and Markets Law allows property owners to request agricultural land be added to an established state-certified agricultural district during an annual 30-day period designated by the County Legislature. For Monroe County landowners, the period is from March 1 - March 30, 2026.

Following the 2025 District Review, there is now a single Agricultural District covering the entire county. Only whole tax parcels are eligible for inclusion in the agricultural district. Petitions for removal of a parcel from the agricultural district will not be accepted during this period.

To request that a parcel of predominantly viable agricultural land be added to the agricultural district, Monroe County landowners may submit a "Monroe County Agricultural District: Annual Enrollment Form" to the Clerk of the County Legislature (County Office Building, 39 W. Main Street, Rochester, NY 14614) between March 1 and March 30, 2026. Forms are available at https://www.monroecounty.gov/planning-farmland.

At the end of the 30-day period, requests will be referred to the Monroe County Agricultural and Farmland Protection Board. The Board has 30 days to report on the proposed additions and to make a recommendation to the County Legislature. There will be a public hearing on the matter at a meeting of the Planning and Economic Development Committee before the County Legislature decides to adopt or reject the proposed inclusion of land into the existing agricultural district.

For more information, please visit the Monroe County Planning Division website at https://www.monroecounty.gov/planning-farmland or contact Patrick Gooch, Senior Associate Planner, Monroe County Planning and Development, (585) 753-2032 or [email protected]