The Montgomery County Council’s ECON Committee will meet March 23 at 9:30 am to review Bill 7-26, which would clarify that agricultural permitting exemptions include farm business operations and product processing. The bill aims to reduce regulatory burdens but would still require permits for buildings where the public consumes food or beverages.
The members of the ECON Committee include Chair and Council President Natali Fani-González, Council Vice President Marilyn Balcombe and Councilmembers Evan Glass and Laurie-Anne Sayles.
More detail on each agenda item is provided below.
Review: The ECON Committee will review Bill 7-26, Buildings – Scope and Applicability – Exemptions – Buildings or Structures used exclusively for Agricultural Purposes – Amendments, which would clarify the agricultural purposes exemption to building permitting requirements. Bill 7-26 is needed because the term “agricultural purposes” is not defined in the County Code, and the Department of Permitting Services has interpreted a permitting exemption for agricultural purposes narrowly. As presently administered, the exemption does not apply to structures where agricultural business operations are performed or where agricultural products are processed.
Bill 7-26 would confirm an “agricultural purpose” includes the business, administration, or management of agriculture and the processing of an agricultural product to prepare the product for market. The bill would further clarify that the exemption does not extend to buildings or structures in which members of the public consume food or beverages, and a permit would be required for any building or structure where those activities occur. The purpose of the bill is to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens for agricultural operators.
The lead sponsors of Bill 7-26 are Council President Fani-González, Council Vice President Balcombe and Councilmember Dawn Luedtke. Councilmembers Sayles, Sidney Katz and Shebra Evans are cosponsors of Bill 7-26.”
