Pennsylvania Agricultural Area Security Law — Agricultural Security Areas (Act 43 / Act 38 of 2005) (PA)
Tracked preemption from the Pennsylvania overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
1981-06-30
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:PA
Other Pennsylvania preemptions
Pennsylvania Act 13 — Oil & Gas Operational Preemption (58 Pa.C.S. §3303)Chesapeake Bay Watershed — Riparian Buffer & E&S Control (25 Pa. Code Ch. 102)Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI) Environmental ReviewMPC §503(1.1) — Manufactured / Industrialized Housing PreemptionPennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC) — Building Code PreemptionFirearms — Local Regulation Preemption (18 Pa.C.S. §6120)Pennsylvania History Code — State Historic Preservation Review (Pa.C.S. Title 37)Pennsylvania Coastal Zone Management Program — Lake Erie & Delaware Estuary
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
AND
city.is_in_agricultural_security_area==Trueparcel.is_within_asa==True
Preempted fields
3 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
review_type | require | nuisance_suit_protection_act_43 | Normal agricultural operations within an Agricultural Security Area (ASA) of 250+ contiguous acres receive enhanced protection from local nuisance ordinances and private nuisance suits. Local zoning may not unreasonably restrict normal agricultural operations on parcels enrolled in an ASA. |
review_type | require | limited_eminent_domain_act_43 | Condemnation of land within an ASA for a project that would render the land unsuitable for agricultural use requires approval from the Agricultural Lands Condemnation Approval Board (ALCAB). |
base_districts[*].allowed_uses | add | normal_agricultural_operations | Including the right-to-farm protections of the Right to Farm Act (3 P.S. §§951–957), normal agricultural operations are protected within ASAs. |
Citation
Authority source
Agricultural Area Security Law, Act of June 30, 1981, P.L. 128, No. 43, as amended by Act 38 of 2005, 3 P.S. §§901–915; Right to Farm Act, 3 P.S. §§951–957
§ 3 P.S. §§903 (creation), 911 (eminent domain), 913 (nuisance)
Research notes
ASAs are voluntarily created by landowner petition and adopted by municipal governing body. Minimum 250 contiguous acres, 7-year renewable enrollment. ASA enrollment is a prerequisite to participation in the PA Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program (Bureau of Farmland Preservation). Implementing regulations at 7 Pa. Code Chapter 138e.