Staff seeks text amendment to tighten agricultural land‑clearing exemptions in county code

Planning staff presented a text amendment that would tighten major land‑clearing permit requirements for agriculturally zoned parcels by requiring evidence of bona fide agricultural use (for example, a property appraiser's ag exemption or a silviculture permit) before exempting a large clearing from a county major‑clearing permit. Staff said the county currently has roughly 350,000 acres of agriculturally zoned property and that the change aims to ensure property owners obtain required state or federal permits before clearing.