A farm or agricultural heritage site stay shall comply with the following requirements.
(1) The farm or agricultural heritage site shall be on a lot of at least 10 acres.
(2) The owner or manager of the farm or agricultural heritage site shall reside on the property and shall be present during the farm or agricultural heritage site stay.
(3) For farms or agricultural heritage sites less than 50 acres, a maximum of three groups or 12 guests, whichever is less, may stay at one time. For farms or agricultural heritage sites 50 acres or more, no more than five groups or 20 guests, whichever is less, may stay at one time. Guests may stay no more than 14 consecutive days.
(4) The owner shall maintain a reservation log of the arrival and departure dates of all guests for inspection by the Office of Planning and Zoning.
(5) A farm or agricultural heritage site stay shall be accessory and not the principal use on the farm or agricultural heritage site.
(6) A farm or agricultural heritage site stay shall include agricultural promotion and guest education about the farm operation or the agricultural heritage site, and shall be subordinate to and in conjunction with agriculture or agricultural heritage and historic preservation goals.
(7) Any building or other improvements or additions made in connection with a farm or agricultural heritage site stay shall be located and designed to shield surrounding residential properties from the effects of noise, hazards, or other offensive conditions.
(8) The minimum setback from any lot line for any building or other improvements or additions used in connection with a farm or agricultural heritage stay shall be 100 feet.
(9) The owner has owned the property for the immediately preceding two years and has been engaged in active farming for the immediately preceding two years.
(Bill No. 69-20; Bill No. 90-20; Bill No. 2-21; Bill No. 81-22; Bill No. 15-23; Bill No. 62-23; Bill No. 3-24)
Editor’s note – Section 3 of Bill No. 69-20 requires the Office of Planning and Zoning to provide a report to the County Council, on or before January 1 of each year through 2027, on farm or agricultural heritage site special events and farm or agricultural site stays.