Agriculture and Markets Law Article 25-AA governs certified agricultural districts statewide and limits how local zoning can apply to working farms inside them.
AML §§ 303 through 307 establish the procedure for landowners to form county-administered agricultural districts that are reviewed by the state every eight years. Within a district, AML § 305 caps benefit assessments for farms and bars certain non-farm taxes; AML § 305-a directs municipalities to act in a manner that does not unreasonably restrict or regulate farm operations. State agencies and authorities are also required to file Agricultural Data Statements for projects in districts. Localities retain authority to adopt right-to-farm overlay laws but may not contradict the state framework.
Local laws unreasonably restricting farm operations may be challenged before the Commissioner and invalidated by court order with attorney's fees to the prevailing farmer.
Erie County, NY
Erie County itself does not regulate parking on town/village streets, but the Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation & Forestry enforces parking rules o...
Erie County, NY
Erie County has no breed-specific dog ban, and neither county nor any municipality within it may adopt one. New York Agriculture & Markets Law §107(5) expres...
Erie County, NY
Erie County does not adopt a single county-wide leash ordinance; dog control is set by each town or city under New York Agriculture & Markets Law Article 7. ...
Clarence, NY
Clarence Town Code prohibits keeping chickens in the Residential Single-Family (R-SF) zone unless the parcel is at least 5 acres or is located in the Agricul...
Erie County, NY
Erie County Local Law 2-2025, "The Sky Lantern Prohibition Act," bans the sale, use, release, and dispatch of sky lanterns county-wide. The law was adopted b...
Erie County, NY
Erie County has no separate county-level open-burning ordinance; outdoor burning across all of Erie County is governed by New York State regulation 6 NYCRR P...
See how Clarence's agricultural zoning protection rules stack up against other locations.
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.