The bill amends Section 42-82-16 of the General Laws under the "Farmland Preservation Act" to prohibit any city, town, quasi-municipal corporation, or public corporation from assessing the owner of an agricultural operation or agricultural land for the extension of water utilities past their property. This prohibition applies to agricultural operations defined in 2-23-4 and agricultural land defined in 42-82-2(1) that are in existence as of July 1, 2025, and have frontage on a public roadway. The bill specifies that assessments for the extension of water utilities include any impact fee, connection fee, or any other fee designed to circumvent this prohibition, except for base usable charges.

Additionally, the bill states that the owner of the agricultural operation may only be charged for the extension of sewer utilities if the owner has requested the utility extension. The agricultural operation may tie into any sewer utility extension made past that property at the normal cost of tie-in, with no additional costs for infrastructure improvements. Similarly, the owner of the agricultural operation shall not be charged for the extension of water utilities if the owner has requested the utility extension, and they may tie into any water utility extension made past that property at no cost for tie-in and no cost for infrastructure improvements, except for base usable charges.

The protections afforded by this section will be null and void if the owner of the agricultural operation develops or sells the property or farmland to a non-qualifying agricultural operation within twenty (20) years of the date the utility extensions become operational. The act is set to take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
5968: 42-82-16