(a) Withdrawal by notification. Except when an easement has been purchased, a landowner may withdraw from a County agricultural district by giving notification in writing to the Office of Planning and Zoning:
(1) no earlier than five years after the date the landowner's land is included in a district or, if a landowner is receiving a tax credit under § 4-2-301 of this Code, no earlier than ten years after the landowner's land is included in a district;
(2) subject to the provisions of § 4-2-301 of this Code, after the County has rejected the purchase of an easement on the landowner's property; or
(3) if the Planning and Zoning Officer finds that continuation in the district will cause the landowner severe economic hardship, consisting of financial peril to the landowner, whether caused by natural disaster, the disability of the landowner, or some other occurrence.
(b) Adjustment of acreage. In a County agricultural district that contains land from more than one landowner, if a landowner's withdrawal from the district causes the district no longer to meet the requirements for a County district, the Office of Planning and Zoning may adjust the district to the remaining acreage.
(1985 Code, Art. 24, § 2-204) (Bill No. 45-90; Bill No. 56-99; Bill No. 20-00)