Bona Fide Farms

North Carolina law (NCGS §160D-903) allows property owners engaged in specific agricultural activities to be exempt from local zoning regulations if they meet certain eligibility criteria as put forth in state statute.  A great resource for further information regarding agricultural activities in Lee County is the Lee County Cooperative Extension located at the McSwain Center at 2420 Tramway Road.

Bona Fide Farm Eligibility Proof

Per North Carolina state statute, a property owner must provide one of the following documents to Community Development staff:

1)  Farm Sales Tax Exemption Certificate - this is a document issued by the NC Department of Revenue

2) Present-Use Value Program Property Tax Listing - this document demonstrates that the property qualifies as Agricultural, Horticultural, or Forestland land in accordance with NCGS §105-277.3 and qualifies for reduced property taxes.

3) Schedule F Document - this is part of a federal tax return for farming entities, and reports farm income and expenses.

4) Forest Management Plan - an plan to manage and maintain existing forests, approved by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and the NC Forestry Service.

Verifying Exempt Status for Farm Structures

Farm structures that are exempt from zoning and local land use regulations must still be reviewed by the Community Development Department to verify that they are, in fact, exempt.  To do so, please complete a Residential Project Application Packet and a Bona Fide Farm Exemption Affidavit  and submit these documents for review using our CSS Self-Service Portal.

The Guide to Bona Fide Farms in Lee County provides more complete details and information on bona fide farms.

Lee County Environmental Health Review for Bona Fide Farms

Please be aware that a bona fide farm's exempt status does not include exemption from local and state public health standards, and on-site septic systems, wells, and any commercial food handling will still require review from Lee County Environmental Health.  

Lee County Environmental Health can be contacted at 919-718-4641 or envhealth@leecountync.gov.