Morris County Agriculture Development Board

Under the County Easement Purchase Program an interested landowner voluntarily agrees to sell to the County Agriculture Development Board the development rights to his or her property, and a permanent deed restriction is then placed on the land. A landowner's agreement to accept permanent agricultural deed restrictions in return for compensation is known as "sale of development easements." Landowners retain ownership of (and may even choose to sell) preserved land, with the new deed restriction ensuring that the land will not undergo non farm development. The county and state share easement purchase costs, which represent the difference between a property's farm (or deed restricted) value and its full market value. Land value is determined by appraisal. Most farms have entered the Farmland Preservation Program through the sale of development rights.

If you are interested in preserving your farm by selling the development easement, below you will find information about the application process, program summary, deed restrictions, historical easement values, application guide and the current application form, as well as other useful information.