The Farmland Preservation Program is a state tax program where eligible landowners can claim a credit on their taxes for maintaining and preserving farmland. Staff can help landowners with the farm review and site walkover required, as well as determine compliance with the state’s Agricultural Performance Standards and Prohibitions, one of the eligibility requirements of the program.
For information on Farmland Preservation tax credits please visit the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) website.
Dane County’s Farmland Preservation Plan identifies the lands that are eligible through zoning for the tax credit. In addition to the county’s Farmland Preservation Plan, some townships have their own zoning plans and Agricultural Enterprise Areas (DATCP) to determine eligibility.
New participants in the Farmland Preservation Program will require a status review and site walkover by staff in order to determine the current status of the farm for compliance with the agricultural performance standards and prohibitions. Once in the program, status reviews are conducted once every four years to verify continued compliance. Letters are typically sent to landowners notifying them of the status review and staff schedule times to meet with landowners individually.
Staff will issue Certificates of Compliance, Schedules of Compliance, or Notices of Noncompliance based on farm compliance. Each of these is described in detail below. Staff can provide conservation planning assistance and technical services as needed for compliance concerns.
Certificate of Compliance
Certificates of Compliance document that the eligible land has been reviewed and certified to be in compliance with the agricultural performance standards and prohibitions. Landowners need a numeric code from the certificate to enter on their taxes. If there are changes in land ownership, entity names, acres, etc., staff are available to assist with updating the certificate.
Schedule of Compliance
In some cases, Schedules of Compliance are required to document noncompliance issues and a timeline to bring the issues back into compliance. In these cases, staff are available to provide planning assistance and technical services to help address resources concerns that need to be remedied. Landowners are still able to claim the tax credit while working toward compliance through a Schedule of Compliance.
Notice of Noncompliance
If a landowner does not maintain compliance with the required agricultural performance standards and prohibitions, a Notice of Noncompliance may be issued. This pauses the landowner’s ability to claim the tax credit until the noncompliance issue is resolved. These notices may be issued for other reasons such as the land is no longer eligible under the county’s Farmland Preservation Plan or the landowner voluntarily exits the program. Once the landowner comes back into compliance with the performance standards and prohibitions, the notice is withdrawn and the landowner can resume taking the tax credit.
Land Conservation Division
Dane County Land & Water Resources Department
(608) 224-3730
landcon@danecounty.gov
