Agriculture, Communities, and Rural Environment (ACRE)
The primary purpose of ACRE is to protect Pennsylvania’s “normal agricultural operators from unauthorized local regulation.” Under ACRE, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General is empowered to: 1) review local ordinances to determine conflicts with state law and 2) to bring legal action against local government units for unauthorized local regulations that prohibit or limit normal agricultural operations. The ordinance review request must be submitted in writing, by a farmer.
The PA Agricultural Ombudsman Program is also able to review ordinances from a NON-LEGAL standpoint. We can help a farmer determine if an ordinance review request to the Office of the Attorney General might be successful. If a farmer needs help drafting the letter, the Ombudsman Program is able to assist with what supporting documentation should be included in the letter. Contact Shelly for more details.
