Cleveland County, NC Right to Farm: Agricultural Zoning Protection (2026)

Article XVII of the Unified Development Ordinance (chapter 12) creates Cleveland County's farmland preservation program, run through a seven-member Agricultural Advisory Board appointed by the board of commissioners under section 12-355. Section 12-356 sets the standard for forming a voluntary agricultural district: the enrolled land must be either a single tract of at least 50 contiguous acres of qualified farmland, or two or more qualifying farms of at least 50 acres each located within a mile of one another. To qualify, a farm must be used for a bona fide farm purpose, follow soil conservation service erosion-control practices on highly erodible land, and be the subject of a conservation agreement between the county and the owner barring nonfarm development for at least 10 years, except for up to three lots that meet county and municipal zoning and subdivision rules, under section 12-357.

Landowners apply to the advisory board chairman, and the board must act within 60 days of a complete application under section 12-358; a denial can be appealed in writing to the board of commissioners within 30 days, whose decision is final. Once certified, districts are marked on maps kept at the register of deeds, planning department, soil and water conservation district, cooperative extension and county land records offices under section 12-356(c). Enrolled farms are also protected from certain water and sewer assessments while undeveloped, and from formal condemnation proceedings until the advisory board has held a public hearing on the proposed action, under sections 12-360 and 12-363.