Davidson County, NC Right to Farm: Farm Nuisance Protection (2026)

Adopted February 14, 2012 under G.S. §§ 106-735 through 106-744 and G.S. Chapter 153A, the Voluntary Agricultural District Ordinance exists 'to promote agricultural values and the general welfare of the county...and increase protection from non-farm development and other negative impacts on properly managed farms' (§ 153.003). To qualify, farmland must be actively engaged in agriculture as defined by G.S. § 106-581.1 (shown through Present Use Value tax status, a farm sales-tax exemption certificate, a Schedule F filing, or a forest management plan), managed under Natural Resources Conservation Service erosion-control practices, and made subject to a recorded conservation agreement prohibiting non-farm use or development for at least ten years, except for up to three lots meeting county and municipal zoning and subdivision rules (§ 153.045).

A landowner applies to the county's Agricultural Advisory Board, which must act within 60 days after routing the application to the Tax Administrator, the Soil and Water Conservation District office, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service for comment; the Planning Department then confirms consistency with the county land development plan before the parcel is posted to the county GIS overlay (§ 153.055, § 153.056). Denials may be appealed to the Board of Commissioners within 30 days, whose decision is final (§ 153.057). Conservation agreements automatically renew for another ten years unless either side gives 30 days' written notice, and the Advisory Board may revoke enrollment only for landowner noncompliance (§ 153.065, § 153.066).

Developers of major subdivisions and planned unit developments must flag on preliminary plans any enrolled district land within one-half aerial mile of the proposed project, giving buyers advance notice they are locating near a protected farm (§ 153.095).