What are Agricultural and Forestal Districts?

Ag/For Districts are rural conservation areas reserved for the production of agricultural products, timber, and the maintenance of open space land as an important economic and environmental resource. Districts are voluntary. They are initiated by a landowner or group of landowners as a mutual undertaking with the local government.

By establishing a District, property owners agree not to convert their farm, forestland and other open space lands to more intense commercial, industrial or residential uses during the term of the District, currently 10 years for districts of statewide significance. In return, the county and Commonwealth agree not to take actions or make infrastructure investments that will place increased pressure on landowners to convert land in the district to more intense land uses during the term of the District

To apply and for more information, please reference the documents below.

• Agricultural & Forestal Districts Application - State
• Agricultural & Forestal Districts Application - Local
• Agricultural & Forestal Districts Information
• Agricultural & Forestal Districts County Code Regulations

A conservation easement is a voluntary agreement negotiated between a landowner and a government agency or charitable organization in which the landowner agrees to place specific restrictions on the use and development of the property. The landowner retains ownership of the property and all rights and privileges for its use, except for the uses restricted under the easement. The Albemarle Conservation Easement Authority, which is appointed by the Board of Supervisors, is one of several easement holders that accept conservation easements on land in the County.

Albemarle County has three conservation-easement programs, detailed below.

Acquisition of Conservation Easements (ACE) Program

Applications for this program are not being accepted at this time. This web site will be updated when the program resumes.

The Acquisition of Conservation Easements (“ACE”) program was designed to provide a financial incentive for landowners of modest means to protect their family farm from future development. For eligible properties, the County appraises the property and its proposed easement, and pays the landowner up to 100% of easement value, based on a sliding adjusted gross income scale. A ranking evaluation system is used to award points from 17 different evaluation criteria including: 1) open space resources (parcel size or whether a property adjoins other permanently protected property); 2) threat of conversion to development and; 3) natural, cultural, historical or scenic resources (mountaintops, working family farms, important viewsheds, scenic highways and rivers, watersheds, productive soils and historically significant properties). Any property that earns a minimum of 20 points is eligible for consideration. Properties with the highest point total are the highest priority. Funding for this program is always limited.

For additional information about the ACE program, contact Scott Clark at 434-296-5832, ext. 3249 or email at sclark@albemarle.org.

Donated Conservation Easements

The Albemarle Conservation Easement Authority accepts donated conservation easements. By promoting a land ethic and responsible stewardship of your property, a donated conservation easement provides a lasting benefit to the public through the protection of Albemarle County’s open spaces and natural resources. Tax benefits may also be available for eligible easement donors.

Do you have questions or need additional information on the ACEA program? View the ACEA Donated Easements brochure or call Scott Clark, ACEA Secretary, at 434-296-5832, ext. 3249 or email at sclark@albemarle.org.

Rural Preservation Developments

“Rural Preservation Developments” are Rural Area subdivisions that are designed to protect a large (40 acre or more) residue of a property under a conservation easement. This alternative form of rural land development results in the same number of lots, but uses less land overall for residential lots.

For more information on this program, contact the Community Development Department at 434-296-5832.

An Open Space Use Agreement is a recorded agreement between a property owner and the County of Albemarle. The agreement restricts construction and development on the property for a fixed period of 4 to 10 years.

The purpose of the use agreement is to protect resources that are important to the community, as described in the Comprehensive Plan Each use agreement should help achieve at least one of the goals listed below.

• Conservation of land
• Conservation of natural resources and historic resource
• Protection of scenic area
• Assist with shaping the character, direction and timing of community development
• Park or recreational purpose
• Other uses that serves the public interest by the preservation of open space land

How Do I Apply?

Open Space Use Agreement applications are processed by the Community Development Department. Contact the department for more information or for help with submitting your application, or with finding out if your property would qualify. Applications for Open Space Use Agreements should be submitted by October 31 of any given year. Staff cannot guarantee that applications submitted after that date will be completed before the end of that year.

• Open Space Use Agreement Application
• Sample Open Space Use Agreement Adobe Acrobat Document

How Does the Use Agreement Affect My Real-Estate Tax?

Land under an Open Space Use Agreement may qualify for Land Use Tax under the Open Space category. Contact the Real Estate Assessor’s office for more information on qualifying for this tax program. Signing an Open Space Use Agreement does not automatically change your tax rate—you must still apply for Land Use Tax through the Assessor’s office after the use agreement is recorded. Land Use Tax Information