2003 House Bill 4083 ↩

House Roll Call 46: Passed

To require the state to subordinate to subsequent lienholders its interest on a farm property obtained under a law which grants a landowner lower tax assessments in exchange for a promise to keep the land in agriculture or as undeveloped open space. The agreement creates an easement in which the state has a lien on the property. The landowner must be an “individual essential to the operation of the farm.” Under current law, the state's interest is subordinate to prior liens, but not to ones entered subsequent to the easement. A subsequent lien could include refinancing a prior mortgage. The bill would not apply to Purchase of Development Rights agreements (PDRs).