 The Program
Overview:
The Hampshire County Farmland Protection Program seeks to conserve viable agricultural lands and protect farm operations from incompatible development, like housing lots or surface mines.
Primarily, the Farmland Protection Board helps landowners to place conservation easements on their properties. The easements ensure the land will stay available for agriculture, and the Board “holds” these easements to make sure they are followed by current and future landowners.
Conservation Easements:
A Conservation Easement is a voluntary, legally recorded restriction on the use of a property to protect its resources, such as agricultural lands, historic structures, waterways, open space, and wildlife habitat.
The Hampshire County Farmland Protection Board (HCFPB) requires restrictions on subdivision and some types of development, but most details of an easement are up to the landowner. Each easement is written to reflect the individual landowner and property. The easement restrictions are binding upon current and future owners, and the conservation easement carries with the land forever, as an attachment to its deed. All conservation easements accepted by the HCFPB are perpetual. Once the easement is complete, the Hampshire County Farmland Protection Board “holds” the easement and enforces its restrictions into the future.
Conservation Easements...
- Are voluntary
- Remove development and subdivision rights from a property
- Reflect each landowner’s specific needs and wishes for a property
- Are permanently attached to the property’s deed and bind future owners to the same restrictions
- May reduce a landowner's income tax obligations
- Usually reduce estate taxes, easing the transfer of properties to children
Landowners still own their properties and may reside on, farm, conduct appropriate businesses from, sell, and pass on to children their properties.
 Conservation Easement Valuation:
When a conservation easement is put into place, a professional appraiser determines its monetary value. The easement value is the difference between the fair market value of the property (the price it is expected to sell for without the easement restrictions) and the value of the property with its easement restrictions. Landowners may donate or sell easements, and the amount donated or sold refers to the value of the rights removed by the easement restrictions.
Eligibility:
Properties must meet certain requirements to be eligible for the program. Please review our Eligibility Criteria, available as a download, or contact us for more information.
Applications:
Separate applications are used for conservation easement purchases and donations. Applications may be downloaded from this website, mailed to you (call 304 257 8862 to request), or obtained from Treasurer Peggy Largent at the Hampshire County Courthouse Annex (66 N. High St. Romney, WV 26757).
Easement purchase applications can be turned into the Hampshire County Farmland Protection Board at any time. Applications are ranked at the local level and submitted for Federal Grants prior to Federal Grant time lines. These dates will be posted by the Board.
Donation applications are accepted at any time. They have no deadline.
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