Whether they’re building a barn or adding agritourism to the family farm operations, landowners often have questions on what is subject to regulation, said an agricultural law expert with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.
Some of the biggest questions farmers and landowners have is what land uses are subject to zoning or building code regulations and what land qualifies for Current Agricultural Use Value assessments, said Peggy Hall, Ohio State University Extension’s agricultural and resource law field specialist. OSU Extension is the college’s outreach arm.
“In areas with land being used for agriculture, township and county officials also often have questions pertaining to whether they have regulatory authority on certain agricultural land uses,” said Hall, who is also an assistant professor for OSU Extension.
“Even officials from larger cities now have questions regarding agricultural zoning and building codes thanks to the increase in urban agriculture.”
To help address these needs, Hall is hosting a free webinar to provide information on how Ohio law treats agricultural activities and whether there is regulatory authority at the local level. The hour-long webinar, “Regulating Agriculture at the Local Level: Zoning, Building Codes and Other Hot Issues,” is at 1 p.m. on May 15. The webinar will feature a presentation by Hall, who has expertise in this area of agricultural law.
The webinar will include information on:
- Zoning
- Building codes
- CAUV laws as applied to agriculture activities
“I receive so many questions from both landowners and local officials about regulation of agricultural land uses,” Hall said. “I’ll explain the unique laws that answer those questions and will also discuss a new bill in the Ohio legislature that would address how agritourism is to be treated under zoning laws and CAUV.”
Instructions for signing into the live webinar are on OSU Extension’s Agricultural Law and Taxation website at farmoffice.osu.edu/webinars. The webinar will also be archived on the site after the presentation.