Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD)

The State of North Carolina passed the Farmland Preservation Enabling Act in 1985, authorizing counties to establish farmland preservation programs, including agricultural districts. Forsyth County adopted an ordinance establishing procedures for creating Voluntary Agricultural Districts in 2008. The purpose of the ordinance is to promote the preservation of farmland in Forsyth County so that development and growth will be accompanied by protection of farms from non–farm development and other negative impacts on properly managed farms, recognizing the importance of agriculture to the economic and cultural life of the county.

Forsyth County’s Voluntary Agricultural District Program enhances the identity of the agricultural community by encouraging the voluntary preservation and protection of farmland from non-farm development. The program is administered by the Forsyth County Agricultural Advisory Board. For more information about the board, click here.

For more information visit the links below, contact us by email or call (336) 703-2850.

• VAD Brochure
• VAD Policies
• VAD Application
• VAD Application Instructions
• VAD Viewer