Clean and Green Versus Permanent Farmland Preservation
A tax-assessment program and a recorded restriction on development rights are not the same thing.
Land preservation is usually created through a recorded easement, may involve the sale or donation of development rights, is often perpetual, restricts future development or nonagricultural use, and generally continues when the property is sold.
Clean and Green is a preferential property-tax assessment program. It does not necessarily transfer development rights, a landowner may be able to change or terminate qualifying use, and a change in use may result in rollback taxes and interest. Enrollment does not necessarily mean the land is permanently preserved.
The two are not interchangeable: a property may be enrolled in Clean and Green without being permanently preserved, permanently preserved without relying solely on Clean and Green, or subject to both. The county assessment office and the recorded documents establish which applies to a particular parcel.
This article is general education only. It is not legal, tax, title, appraisal, engineering, environmental, insurance or zoning advice, and it does not describe any particular property. Confirm every point through current official records and qualified professionals.