PARRIS N. GLENDENING, Governor

Ch. 41

CHAPTER 41
(House Bill 110)

AN ACT concerning

Calvert County - Right to Farm Law

FOR the purpose of authorizing the County Commissioners of Calvert County to adopt
an ordinance to protect the right to farm and to engage in agricultural or forestry
operations; authorizing the County Commissioners to provide for persons who
engage in agricultural or forestry operations to be immune from private nuisance
actions involving agricultural or forestry operations in certain circumstances;
authorizing the County Commissioners to establish a grievance committee to
arbitrate disputes involving agricultural or forestry operations; authorizing the
County Commissioners to require a person claiming a nuisance involving
agricultural or forestry operations to seek and obtain relief from the grievance
committee; authorizing the County Commissioners to require a person claiming a
nuisance to pay reasonable expenses, including attorney fees, in certain
circumstances; authorizing the County Commissioners to require a transferor of real
property to provide certain information to the transferee in certain circumstances;
and generally relating to the authority of the County Commissioners to protect
agricultural or forestry operations in Calvert County.

BY adding to

The Public Local Laws of Calvert County

Section 12-301 to be under the new subtitle "Subtitle 3. Right to Farm Law"

Article 5 - Public Local Laws of Maryland

(1986 Edition and July 1991 Supplement, as amended)

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:

Article 5 - Calvert County

SUBTITLE 3. RIGHT TO FARM LAW.
12-301.

(A)     SUBJECT TO SUBSECTION (C) OF THIS SECTION, THE COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS MAY ADOPT AN ORDINANCE TO PROTECT A PERSON'S RIGHT TO
FARM OR TO ENGAGE IN AGRICULTURAL OR FORESTRY OPERATIONS.

(B)     IN ADOPTING AN ORDINANCE UNDER THIS SECTION, THE COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS MAY:

(1) DEFINE THE TERMS "AGRICULTURAL OR FORESTRY OPERATIONS",
"GENERALLY ACCEPTED AGRICULTURAL OR FORESTRY PRACTICES", AND ANY
OTHER TERMS NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION;

- 1305 -