Tax Credits to Encourage Urban Agriculture

"The [Montgomery] County Council unanimously passed a bill March 7 that would grant a tax credit to certain properties that qualify as urban farms," reports Mike Diegel.

"The bill applies to properties ranging in size from one-half acre to less than three acres that are also located in or within 1,000 feet of a Metro Station Policy Area. The property must also be used for at least two of three urban agricultural purposes," explains Diegel.

The need for the new tax credit came about after a councilmember caught wind of a small farm in Silver Spring, which was ineligible for an agricultural tax credit. It follows from that example that the new tax credit encourages urban agriculture. Diegel notes that the Montgomery County Council modeled their tax break on similar legislation in Baltimore, Washington D.C., Seattle, and San Francisco. Local efforts to provide incentives for urban agriculture in California followed from a 2013 state law that allowed Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones.