SB 639: North Carolina Farm Act of 2025. - North Carolina

A1: ATQ-58-V-4 → Edition 1 · 8 edits

MODERATE

This bill was converted from an amendment version to the original Senate Bill version. The amendment focused on specific changes to aquaculture protection and agricultural awareness, while the original bill establishes a broader legislative framework including agricultural water planning, feral swine management, land conservation easements, and special use permit regulations.

Scope change

The document scope changed from a specific amendment to SB 639 to the complete original bill text, expanding the scope from targeted amendments to comprehensive agricultural legislation.

TECHNICAL

Removed amendment-specific formatting including 'ADOPTED' status, amendment tracking numbers, and amendment-specific page references.

Removed amendment-specific instructions about rewriting specific lines on pages 2, 9, 12, and 13 that were part of the amendment process.

SCOPE

Added complete bill structure with title 'North Carolina Farm Act of 2025', sponsors information, and full legislative text.

REQUIREMENT

Added Section 1 requiring the Department of Agriculture to update the Strategic Plan for Protecting Agricultural Water Resources with specific requirements for water infrastructure, conservation practices, cost-share assistance, and flood mitigation.

Added Section 2 establishing a Feral Swine Working Group with nine specific members to develop a statewide plan for controlling feral swine damage.

Added Section 3 requiring vegetative buffers for subdivisions adjacent to protected farm tracts with agricultural conservation easements.

Added Section 4 allowing denial of special use permits when they would have undue impact on agricultural production.

TIMELINE

Changed reporting deadline from unspecified to 'October 1, 2026' for the agricultural water plan development report.

Filed → A1: ATQ-58-V-4 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to add new provisions protecting agricultural interests, including a study on low-hanging communication lines that pose safety hazards to farming operations, enhanced penalties for theft of crops and aquaculture, and protections for land in conservation easements. These changes expand the bill's scope beyond its original agricultural water plan update and feral swine working group provisions to include broader agricultural and aquaculture protections.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from primarily agricultural water management and feral swine control to include aquaculture theft penalties, communication line safety studies, and conservation easement protections.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for the Agriculture and Forestry Awareness Study Commission to study low-hanging communication lines that create public safety hazards for agricultural operations.

Added requirements for vegetative buffers around protected farm tracts in subdivision developments.

ENFORCEMENT

Modified aquaculture theft penalties to increase fines and classification of offenses for repeat violations.

DEFINITION

Modified definitions related to marine aquaculture rights and protection of private marine aquaculture facilities.

Edition 4 → Edition 5 · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill version update includes administrative changes to the bill number and edition status, along with a substantive modification to how special use permits can be denied. The most significant policy change expands the criteria for denying permits, now allowing denial for electric supplier uses in addition to residential construction and recent property acquisitions.

Scope change

The bill now applies to electric supplier uses in addition to residential construction and short-term property ownership when denying special use permits that could negatively impact agricultural production.

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded the list of uses that can trigger permit denial to include electric supplier activities, alongside existing residential construction and short-term ownership criteria.

TECHNICAL

Updated bill version number from Edition 4 to Edition 5 with updated committee adoption dates and engrossment date.

Removed internal version tracking markers and formatting elements from the bill text.

Edition 3 → Edition 4 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill revision adds the Finance Committee's approval to the legislative process and reorders the list of committee members, removing the Forest Supervisor while adding the State Director of Wildlife Services. The substantive policy content regarding feral swine control and special use permit denials remains unchanged, with only formatting and numbering adjustments made to align with the new edition.

TECHNICAL

Added Finance Committee Substitute Adopted 5/7/25 to the committee adoption list.

Removed line item for the Forest Supervisor of the United States Forest Service from the committee membership list.

Reordered committee member list to shift numbering from (3) to (10), effectively moving the Forest Supervisor position down and inserting the State Director of Wildlife Services as item (4).

Updated bill version identifier from Edition 3 to Edition 4 with corresponding page number changes.

Edition 2 → Edition 3 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to remove a requirement for disclosing voluntary agricultural districts in residential property disclosure statements and added new authority for local governments to deny special use permits when proposed developments would negatively impact agricultural production. This change shifts focus from property disclosure transparency to active protection of farmland through permit denial powers.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from requiring property disclosure about agricultural districts to granting local governments authority to deny special use permits for developments that threaten agricultural production.

REQUIREMENT

Deleted Section 3 requiring disclosure of voluntary agricultural districts in residential property disclosure statements, which would have mandated sellers to inform buyers about agricultural district status.

Added Section 4 granting boards of adjustment, planning boards, or governing boards authority to deny special use permits when a property is owned by a business entity for less than three years and the proposed land use would negatively impact agricultural production.

ELIGIBILITY

New eligibility criteria for permit denial requires the property to be owned by a business entity for less than three years, creating a specific timeframe for when agricultural protection measures can be applied.

ENFORCEMENT

Added enforcement mechanism allowing local governments to deny special use permits as a tool to prevent negative impacts on agricultural production within their jurisdiction.

TECHNICAL

Changed bill version from Edition 2 to Edition 3 with additional Judiciary Committee adoption dated 5/6/25, indicating legislative progress through committee review.

Edition 1 → Edition 2 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill was amended to expand the Feral Swine Working Group membership from nine to ten members by adding a representative from the North Carolina Forestry Association. Additionally, the bill's section titles and organization were restructured, with new sections added regarding agricultural district disclosures in residential property transactions and changes to how special use permits are handled to protect agricultural production.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include forestry interests in feral swine management and added new requirements for disclosing voluntary agricultural districts in residential property sales.

ELIGIBILITY

The Feral Swine Working Group membership was increased from nine to ten members, adding a representative from the North Carolina Forestry Association to better represent forestry interests in feral swine management decisions.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements were added for residential property disclosure statements to include information about voluntary agricultural districts, ensuring buyers are informed when purchasing properties in agricultural areas.

New provisions were added to allow denial of special use permits when they would have undue impact on agricultural production, giving local governments more tools to protect farming operations.

TECHNICAL

Section headers and bill organization were restructured with new section titles and numbering, though the substantive content of the original sections was largely preserved.

North Carolina Farm Act of 2025.

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