Clean Ohio Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP)

The Clean Ohio Local Agricultural Easement Purchase Program (LAEPP) provides funding to farmland owners for placing an agricultural easement on their property, keeping the farm in agricultural production in perpetuity. Monies are issued for up to 75 percent of the appraised value of a farm's development rights, with a payment cap of $2,000 per acre and a maximum of $500,000 per farm. All easement transactions are recorded on the property deed and transfer with the land; the land remains on the tax rolls under private ownership and management. Administered by the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Office of Farmland Preservation.

Farmland owners whose farm can demonstrate that remaining in agricultural production in perpetuity is compatible with the local community plan and is not in the direct path of development. The farm must be a minimum of 40 acres (or 25 acres if adjacent to a preserved farm; farms of 10-24 acres sharing a substantial border with permanently protected compatible land may request an eligibility determination). A minimum of 25 percent of the points-based appraised value of the easement must be provided as cash match by the local sponsor, donation by the landowner, or a combination.

Landowners cannot apply directly to ODA. Applications must be submitted on the landowner's behalf by a certified Local Sponsor (a municipal corporation, county, township, soil and water conservation district, or charitable organization). Landowners contact a Local Sponsor during the annual LAEPP application period; application opportunities are open for a maximum of 90 days.