Waynesville farmer tells commissioners county permitting threatens his agritourism venue

Daniel Rufty, a farmer who said he built an agritourism wedding venue on his Waynesville property, told the Haywood County Board of Commissioners that county enforcement threatens his family's farm and business. "Haylene didn't kill our farm, but Haywood County buildings department is killing my farm," Rufty said, asking commissioners for help after he said he received a notice of violation and faced uncooperative responses from permitting staff.

Rufty told the board he relied on state agritourism statute language and an opinion from the North Carolina attorney general's office to believe only electrical permits were required; he said construction began in January and the venue was finished except for electrical work prior to Helene. "It literally states, agritourism means a wedding venue," Rufty said, and he presented excerpts of statute and the attorney general opinion to commissioners.

County counsel (identified in the meeting as Frank) told commissioners the building-inspections office had given Rufty instructions on how to obtain permits and that he had constructed structures without required permits. "He's made an application for, he's been cited... He's correctly stated that he's been cited for violations of the building inspection law, the steep slope ordinance, the sedimentation control law, and the electrical permitting requirements," the counsel said, adding that remedies lie in the county's ordinances and tribunal processes rather than in a public hearing. The exchange left the matter framed as an administrative enforcement action: the public speaker alleged improper enforcement and harm to his family farm; county counsel countered that the property owner must follow the same permit rules that apply to all residents.