a. Except as otherwise provided in subsection d. of this section, land, five acres in area, shall be deemed to be actively devoted to agricultural or horticultural use when the amount of the gross sales of agricultural or horticultural products produced thereon, any payments received under a soil conservation program, fees received for breeding, raising or grazing any livestock, income imputed to cropland pastured and permanent pasture land used for grazing in the amount determined by the State Farmland Evaluation Committee created pursuant to section 20 of P.L. 1964, c.48 (C.54:4-23.20), and fees received for boarding, rehabilitating or training any livestock where the land under the boarding, rehabilitating or training facilities is contiguous to land which otherwise qualifies for valuation, assessment and taxation under P.L. 1964, c.48, have averaged at least $1,000 per year during the two-year period immediately preceding the tax year in issue, or there is clear evidence of anticipated yearly gross sales, payments, fees, and imputed income amounting to at least $1,000 within a reasonable period of time, or such amount as may be established by the State Farmland Evaluation Committee pursuant to this section. In the case of woodland subject to a woodland management plan pursuant to section 3 of P.L. 1964, c.48 (C.54:4-23.3), the amount shall be at least $500, or such amount as may be established by the State Farmland Evaluation Committee pursuant to this section. Every three years, or sooner at the call of the Secretary of Agriculture or the Director of the Division of Taxation, the State Farmland Evaluation Committee shall review the minimum gross sales, payments, fees, and imputed income requirements, and anticipated yearly gross sales, payments, fees, and imputed income requirements, established in this section for the first five acres, and may, by rule or regulation adopted pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L. 1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), raise the amounts of those minimums to such levels as the committee determines appropriate. Any increase made to the minimum gross sales, payments, fees, and imputed income requirements, and anticipated yearly gross sales, payments, fees and imputed income requirements, for the first five acres as authorized pursuant to this section shall not be enforced until the third tax year following adoption of the increase. In addition, where the land is more than five acres in area, it shall be deemed to be actively devoted to agricultural or horticultural use when the amount of the gross sales of agricultural or horticultural products produced on the area above five acres, any payments received under a soil conservation program, fees received for breeding, raising or grazing any livestock, income imputed to cropland pastured and permanent pasture land used for grazing in the amount determined by the State Farmland Evaluation Committee created pursuant to section 20 of P.L. 1964, c.48 (C.54:4-23.20), and fees received for boarding, rehabilitating or training any livestock where the land under the boarding, rehabilitating or training facilities is contiguous to land which otherwise qualifies for valuation, assessment and taxation under P.L. 1964, c.48, have averaged at least $5.00 per acre per year during the two-year period immediately preceding the tax year in issue, or there is clear evidence of anticipated yearly gross sales, payments, fees, and imputed income amounting to an average of at least $5.00 per year within a reasonable period of time; except in the case of woodland and wetland, where the minimum requirement shall be an average of $0.50 per acre on the area above five acres.
In addition, in order for land to be deemed to be actively devoted to agricultural or horticultural use, the activity and use must be consistent with the guidelines describing generally accepted agricultural and horticultural practices developed and adopted pursuant to subsection a. of section 1 of P.L. 2013, c. 43(C.54:4-23.3d).
As used in this section, "livestock" shall not include dogs.
For the purposes of this section, the presence of an intervening public thoroughfare shall not preclude a finding of contiguity.