Stafford Seeks Landowners for Development Rights Program

Stafford County is seeking interested landowners of 20 acres or more in the A-1 or A-2 designated areas to participate in the Purchase of Development Rights Program (PDR). The PDR program offers an alternative to rural landowners for selling their properties, thereby preserving the County's rural and open spaces. An online information session will be held on August 19, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Notices will be mailed to eligible landowners with more information.

This program compensates property owners for restricting development on their land by recording a conservation easement. The property owner retains ownership of the land, may continue to reside on the property and retain such uses as farming or timbering. The appraised value of the proposed easement determines the property owner's compensation.

To date, the County has preserved 1,384 acres of farm and forest lands on property county-wide through the PDR program. A total of 336 development rights have been extinguished. PDR is Stafford's Healthy Growth initiative tool to preserve open spaces while concentrating development in areas with existing infrastructure.

Through a combination of preservation practices, approximately 16,938 acres will never be developed with residential lots in Stafford County, and 4,342 development rights are retired. The 16,938 acres include conservation easements, such as the Rappahannock River easement; properties in the Purchase of Development Rights Program; state lands, such as Crow's Nest and Widewater State Park; existing Stafford parkland; and Transfer of Development Right Program properties. For more information, please visit https://www.staffordcountyva.gov/pdr or call Jennifer Himmelstein at (540) 658-8675. The online information session may be accessed at https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/224535625659056?p=nkbWbeXnKJLL3Kkcqe