This bill relates to agritourism and product sales at farms and farm roadside stands. The bill defines "significant expansion" as an increase in the square footage of a farm stand or retail operation that is more than 500 square feet or a 25 percent increase in square footage, whichever is greater. It also states that for an agritourism activity to be considered a significant expansion, it must provide for an increase in the number of participants greater than 25 percent.

The bill also amends RSA 21:34-a to require that a farm roadside stand remain an agricultural operation and not be considered commercial, as long as at least 35 percent of the product sales in dollar volume are attributable to products produced on the farm or farms of the stand owner. Additionally, the bill allows municipalities to request a statement from a certified public accountant attesting to the fact that the farm has met the requirements of this paragraph on average over the previous 3 fiscal years. However, a municipality can only request this statement if the farm has been in operation for at least 1 fiscal year, and they cannot request it more often than every 3 fiscal years.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 674:32-b, 21:34-a