The Agricultural, Forest and Open Space Land Act of 1976 (Greenbelt Law) permits qualifying tracts of land that are:

  • equal to or greater than 15 acres and
  • have an average annual Agricultural income of $1,500 over 3 years
to be assessed at its use Agricultural value rather than its fair market value. By easing some of the burden of property taxes for the owner, Greenbelt properties help preserve farmlands, forestlands and open-space land.
 

Agricultural Land
Since April 14, 1992, the law requires that property must be used as agricultural land in order to qualify for the agricultural-use classification. It must be part of a farm "engaged in the production of crops, plants, animals, nursery or floral products." The Assessor may ask about property income, ownership and other information needed to determine how the property is used and how it should be valued.
 
 

Forestland
Property owners requesting consideration for forestland must file a forestland application and submit a Forest Management Plan to the Assessor's Office. Forest Management Plans are available from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry.

An application must be completed to have a property considered for greenbelt. Before applying, a property owner should carefully review the application and any additional information about the greenbelt program that is available from the Assessor's Greenbelt Specialists.

Property owners may obtain the forms to apply for greenbelt farm-use values and greenbelt/forest-land values online or from the Assessor's Office. Contact the Assessor's Greenbelt Specialist Carol Dickey by  E-mail, or by phone 931-375-4003 for more information or an application. The deadline for filing applications for greenbelt value is March 1.

Property owners may be liable for "rollback" taxes later if the land approved for greenbelt is converted to other uses or is disqualified for greenbelt as the result of a sale or otherwise. The amount due would be the tax saved during the last three years of greenbelt classification.

Fair Market Value

Fair market value is the price that a willing and informed buyer and seller would agree upon under usual and ordinary circumstances. It is the most probable price a property would bring if exposed to the open market for a reasonable period of time.