Pennsylvania protects agricultural land through Agricultural Security Areas under Act 43 of 1981 and the Agricultural Area Security Law, working alongside municipal zoning to limit development pressure on working farms.
Pennsylvania's Agricultural Area Security Law (Act 43 of 1981, codified at 3 P.S. Section 901 et seq.) authorizes the creation of Agricultural Security Areas (ASAs) of 250 contiguous acres or more proposed by landowners and approved by the municipality. ASA designation triggers heightened protection from nuisance suits, eligibility for purchase of agricultural conservation easements through county and state programs, and limits on local ordinances that would unreasonably restrict farming. Pennsylvania's Municipalities Planning Code requires townships to consider agriculture as a permitted land use in agricultural zoning districts, and the Act allows the Attorney General to challenge ordinances that conflict with these protections. ASA designation does not by itself preserve land in perpetuity, but it is the foundation for the state and county easement-purchase program.
Municipal ordinances inconsistent with the Agricultural Area Security Law may be challenged and invalidated by aggrieved landowners or the Attorney General.
Erie, PA
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Erie, PA
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Erie, PA
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Erie, PA
The City of Erie requires a fence permit issued by the Bureau of Code Enforcement before installing or replacing a fence. Applications are submitted at Room ...
Erie, PA
Erie's Codified Ordinances Article 505 does not impose a single fixed numerical cap on household dogs and cats but uses nuisance and dangerous-animal provisi...
Erie, PA
Erie's local wildlife-feeding enforcement runs through Article 505 nuisance provisions of the Codified Ordinances and property-maintenance rules against accu...
See how Erie's agricultural zoning protection rules stack up against other locations.
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