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Marion County's Farmland Preservation / Transfer
of Development Rights Program

Marion County's Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program was designed and implemented to aid in the protection of natural resources within the County, including the preservation of important and prime farmland. The TDR program is intended to promote the preservation of rural farmland areas and protect those areas from incompatible land uses, while providing additional incentives and benefit to those participating in the program.

The Marion County Board of County Commissioners ("The Board") has, by adoption into the County Comprehensive Plan as Objective 13 of the Future Land Use Element, established the Sending and Receiving Areas associated with the TDR program. The Board has also approved the forms which provide the process for applying to participate in the program as well as the process for the County to issue the TDR credits and for the credit holder(s) to assign or utilize those credits.

Criteria for participation in the TDR program include:

	Acreage of land under a Conservation Easement must be a minimum of 30 acres.
	Land must have a land use of ‘Rural Land’. It does NOT have to be located within the designated Farmland Preservation Area, but must have attributes as listed in Policy 1.2 of the Conservation Element of the Marion County Comprehensive Plan.

The basic process for placing property under a Conservation Easement is:

	Speak or meet with a Marion County Planner.
	Fill out an Application to Participate in Transfer of Development Rights Program form and a Petition to Participate in Transfer of Development Rights form and submit it to the Marion County Planning Department. If available, a proposed Conservation Easement can be submitted at this time.
	These forms go to the Board of County Commissioners for determination of eligibility to participate in the program.
	Once a favorable determination is made, the applicant must submit a proposed Conservation Easement. This Easement is then presented to the Board of County Commissioners for approval and the issuance of transferrable development credits. The Easement must then be recorded by the applicant.
	After approval by The Board, a Statement of Issuance is completed and mailed to the applicant.

To assign transferable development credits:

Holder of credits should complete the Assignment of Development Credits by Holder form and submit it to the Marion County Planning Department.

To utilize development credits:

Person/entity holding credits should complete the Statement of Utilization of Transferable Development Credits form, and submit to the Marion County Planning Department, along with any development application.