Southtowns Record

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DRAFT

Government
Town of Aurora
Board
Town Board
Meeting
Feb 4, 2026
Kind
Other
Topics
Zoning and land use, Water, sewer and drainage, Parks and recreation, Budget and taxes, Roads and traffic, Housing, Energy and data center siting, Public safety

Original document

Same meeting

Text · page 63 of 154

Read the whole document on one page (all 154 pages, each with its own heading)

Comprehensive Plan  63

Agricultural Regulations

The Town of Aurora has a Right to Farm Law, adopted in 2007, which recognizes the importance of the
agriculture industry to the Town and “limits the circumstances under which farming may be deemed a nuisance
and to allow agricultural practices inherent to and necessary for the business of farming to proceed and be
undertaken free of unreasonable and unwarranted interference or restriction.”

New York State Agriculture and Markets law authorizes counties to establish Agricultural Districts for the
purpose of promoting agriculture. Erie County currently has four consolidated Agricultural Districts comprising
approximately 265,661 acres. Each Agricultural District must be reviewed every eight years, at which time
parcels may be added or removed. Land included in an Agricultural District must be “highly suitable for
agricultural production” and “feasible for farming if conditions remain the same.” Agricultural Districts protect
agricultural parcels by prohibiting local governments from enforcing laws, ordinances, rules, or regulations
which would “unreasonably restrict or regulate farm operations within an agricultural district; discourage private
nuisance lawsuits; limit the impact of projects that receive public funding or require an eminent domain; and
limit assessments for special improvement districts to dwellings and farm structures directly benefiting from
the services. The Town of Aurora is in the Central Ag District (#5). As of 2022, there are 24 parcels in Aurora
totaling 2,143 acres that are within the Ag District.

  % of Total Acres in
  Type of Farmland  Acres
  Town
  Prime Farmland  3,558.8  16.40%
  Farmland of Statewide
  9,674.3  44.50%
  Importance
  Prime Farmland if
  4,858.1  22.30%
  Drained
  Not Prime Farmland  3,649.1  16.80%