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Agricultural Exempon Permit
Applicaon Addional Informaon
A. An exempon from perming may apply for land alteraon acvies which are normal and necessary to conduct
bona de agricultural operaons in zoning categories which allow agricultural uses as long as the acvies:
1. Does not involve the removal of more than 500 cubic yards of material osite.
2. Does not cause an adverse impact to upland and/or wetland environmentally sensive areas.
3. Does not cause an adverse impact to neighboring properes by impeding or diverng the ow of surface
water entering or leaving the property boundaries.
4. Do conform to the standards specied in Placement of Fill, Secon 4.01.05. E of the Land Development Code.
B. Bona de agricultural operaons mean acvies normal and necessary for good faith commercial agricultural use
of the land. Such agricultural uses include horculture, oriculture, viculture, forestry, dairy, livestock, poultry, bee,
aquaculture, pisciculture, and acvies that might include but are not limited to the following acvies: transplanng,
lling; plowing; planng; harvesng; contouring to prevent erosion; fencing; construcon of internal roads, bridges,
or culverts to facilitate these operaons; construcon or maintenance of irrigaon and drainage ditches; control
structures or dikes; and construcon, operaon or maintenance of agricultural use ponds. In determining whether the
acvity is normal and necessary for the good faith commercial agricultural use of the land, the following factors may be
considered.
1. Specic agricultural use of the property.
2. Size of the property as it relates to specic agricultural use.
3. Land designated agricultural by the Hillsborough County Tax Assessor.
4. Pending applicaons for land use or zoning changes.
C. Development Services Department sta will consider the following factors to determine approval, approval with
condions, or disapproval of the proposal with comments:
1. The eect that the proposed land alteraon will have on soil conservaon, surface water quality and ows,
and possible drainage disturbance to surrounding properes.
2. The eect that the proposed land alteraon will have to onsite trees and vegetaon.
3. The eect that the excavaon will have on the quality of groundwater.
4. The eect that the excavaon will have on water levels of surface and ground waters.
5. The eect that the proposed land alteraon will have on all environmentally sensive areas (i.e., wetlands,
and upland signicant and essenal wildlife habitats).
6. The necessity for compliance with other regulaons, (e.g., zoning, building, and environmental regulaons).
D. The following acvies for exisng bona de agricultural operaons do not require an applicaon for an
Agricultural Exempon to the Natural Resource Permit:
A. Normal agricultural pracces such as, eld preparaon, transplanng, lling, plowing, planng, and
harvesng, however, forestry operaons and the conversion of natural lands to improved pasture do require
compleon of an Agricultural Exempon applicaon.
B. Roune reseng or replacement of tree crops (citrus) or other crops to replace dead or diseased plants.
C. Removal of plant material (trees, shrubs, other plants) grown on a plant farm specically for sale during the
ordinary course of business.
D. Tree removal which is exempted by Secon 4.01.03 of the Land Development Code.
E. Trimming of trees in accordance with American Naonal Standards Instute (ANSI) A300 Standards.
F. Limited tree removal and/or trimming not conforming to ANSI A300 Standards on exisng farm operaons to
achieve crop producon requirements.
G. Installaon, repair, or replacement of irrigaon piping systems.
H. Maintenance of exisng permied ponds, water control structures, culverts and drainage systems.
I. Recontouring of raised beds, water furrows, and swales.
J. Fire line maintenance.