CHENANGO COUNTY – Local farmers and agricultural organizations say new property maintenance provisions in the state’s Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code Act were ill-conceived and could create unnecessary hurdles for the farming industry.

Under the new regulations in the property maintenance section of the uniform code act – which became effective Jan. 1 – farms are required to adhere to the same regulations as all other non-residential structures, which some say is unfair and inappropriate considering the logistical and geographical differences between farms and office buildings.

At a county Agriculture, Buildings, and Grounds Committee meeting last Tuesday, Oxford farmer George Frank, on behalf of Chenango County Farm Bureau, asked that the committee carry a resolution to the full Board of Supervisors May 14 to support an amendment that exempts farms from the codes.

“It (new code) keeps your neighbor from having a junk yard next door,” said Frank, who has been throughout the county and to Albany gaining support for the amendment. “It doesn’t work for farms or farm structures.”

The codes in question includes regulations on grass height, rodent existence and the opening and closing of gates. It also states:

• That all driveways be maintained in a proper state of repair and free from hazardous conditions.

• That all exterior wood surfaces will be protected from the elements via painting or protective coating.

• That all metal subject to rust or corrosion be coated to inhibit rust.