Directs State Agriculture Development Committee to identify farmland ineligible for county farmland preservation programs, notify owners of State requirements, and invite applications for farmland preservation under State program.
Impact
Upon completing the survey, the SADC is required to notify owners of identified farms in writing about their eligibility for preservation and invite them to apply for state-level preservation opportunities. The bill emphasizes that if income requirements for differential property taxation are met, other state income standards would not be applied for preservation applications. This legislative move intends to balance the interests of smaller farms that desire to maintain their land and the overarching aim of the state to increase farmland preservation.
Summary
Assembly Bill A4459, introduced on February 24, 2026, aims to direct the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) to undertake a survey and identification of farms across New Jersey that are eligible for differential property taxation under the Farmland Assessment Act of 1964 but do not meet local minimum acreage requirements for farmland preservation. This effort seeks to help smaller farms that otherwise qualify for differential taxation but might be excluded from county preservation programs due to size-related criteria.
Contention
The proposal anticipates potential contention regarding the enforcement of minimum acreage criteria set by counties that may be perceived as stringent or exclusionary. While proponents argue the bill fosters an inclusive approach to farmland preservation, objections may arise about whether it undermines local control by overriding locally established requirements. Stakeholders in the agricultural community and local governments might have differing perspectives on the implications of this legislation for local agricultural policy and land use regulation.
Carry Over
Directs State Agriculture Development Committee to identify farmland ineligible for county farmland preservation programs, notify owners of State requirements, and invite applications for farmland preservation under State program.
Transfers Division of Food and Nutrition from Department of Agriculture to DHS; appropriates $128.241 million from constitutionally dedicated revenues to State Agriculture Development Committee for farmland preservation purposes.
Directs Garden State Preservation Trust to perform audit of State's land preservation programs, authorizes local governments and nonprofit organizations to utilize certain constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues for administrative expenses; appropriates $150,000.
Authorizes State Agriculture Development Committee to maintain and use its own list of property appraisers, or to employ dedicated pool of property appraisers, or both, to facilitate valuation of land for farmland preservation purposes.
Establishes Farmland Assessment Review Commission to annually review and recommend changes to farmland assessment program, as necessary to ensure fair, equitable, and uniform Statewide application and enforcement of program requirements and allocation of program benefits.