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Dane County Farmland Preservation Plan
Overview
The Dane County Farmland Preservation Plan, adopted by the County Board on December 3, 1981, marked the beginning of the county's
participation in the state of Wisconsin Farmland Preservation Program, WI State Statute Ch. 91.51
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which provides income tax credits to farm owners who keep their property in agricultural use. The Plan contains:
- an overview of the planning process;
- farmland preservation plan elements, and;
- a compilation of component town plans (either land use plans or comprehensive plans).
The Planning Process
This portion of the document sets the framework and discusses the state of many physical and socioeconomic features in Dane County
as of 1981, also covered are:
- Overview of the Town and County Roles in this Plan.
- Overview of the Wisconsin Farmland Preservation Program.
Farmland Preservation Plan Elements
The policy portion of the plan includes recommended standards for town plan components, as well as overarching goals and
policy statements. The following goals and policy statements are part of the Dane County Farmland Preservation Plan:
- Maintain Dane County as one of the nation's most productive agricultural counties.
- Preserve agricultural land as a resource for current and future generations.
- Support preservation of the family farm.
- Maintain the rural character of Dane County towns.
The County Farmland Preservation Plan is required to contain "…a program of specific public actions designed to preserve
agricultural lands and guide urban growth." One major tool available to towns to implement their land use plans is exclusive
agricultural zoning. Thirty of Dane County's 34 towns have adopted exclusive agricultural zoning. This zoning generally limits
the uses of land in agricultural areas to agricultural production and dwelling units for the owner or operator of the farm.
Any land use change to a non-agricultural use (e.g. new residences) requires that a rezone petition be submitted by the property
owner, which in turn is reviewed by the town and the County for consistency with the town's plan.
Component Town Plans
The Dane County Farmland Preservation Plan also makes recommendations for specific elements that should be included in local
town plans, including plan format and implementation tools.
The Town plans, developed locally and adopted by the Dane County Board, include descriptions of existing conditions, goals
and objectives that outline the desired future of the community, a planned land use map illustrating the pattern of land uses,
and policies that the town believes will achieve its overall goals. The planned land use map specifies agricultural preservation
areas and potential development areas and is tied directly to policies in the plan text that are used guide decision making on such
matters as development proposals, zoning changes and land divisions.
Towns periodically amend and update their land use or comprehensive plans. Changes to town plans that are approved by the County
Board become amendments to the County Farmland Preservation Plan and are used by the County Zoning and Land Regulation Committee
as criteria for zoning recommendations.
You can access individual town plans displayed on our town components page.
Documents
All documents below are in Adobe Acrobat format unless otherwise stated.
Revised: November 2, 2006
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