Subdivision 1.Citation.

Sections 473H.02 to 473H.17 may be cited as the “Metropolitan Agricultural Preserves Act.”

Subd. 2.Policy; purpose.

Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 473H.01

  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44

It is the policy of the state to encourage the use and improvement of its agricultural lands for the production of food and other agricultural products. It is the purpose of sections 473H.02 to 473H.17 to provide an orderly means by which lands in the metropolitan area designated for long-term agricultural use through the local and regional planning processes will be taxed in an equitable manner reflecting the long-term singular use of the property, protected from unreasonably restrictive local and state regulation of normal farm practices, protected from indiscriminate and disruptive taking of farmlands through eminent domain actions, protected from the imposition of unnecessary special assessments, and given such additional protection and benefits as are needed to maintain viable productive farm operations in the metropolitan area.