Purchase of Development Rights
Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) programs compensate property owners for restricting the future of their land. Landowners voluntarily sell agricultural conservation easements to a government agency or private conservation organization. The agency or organization usually pays them the difference between the value of the land as restricted and the value of the land for its so-called “highest and best use” (residential or commercial development).
Present sources of funding for PDR in Maine are:
- Land for Maine’s Future Program
- USDA Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
- Various other sources of funding coordinated by local land trusts
Contact Maine Farmland Trust, the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources, or your local land trust for more information.