(c) "Department" means the department of revenue.
(d) "Farm" means a farm, as defined in s. 91.01 (13), that has produced at least $6,000 in gross farm revenues during the taxable year to which the claim relates or, in the taxable year to which the claim relates and the 2 immediately preceding taxable years, at least $18,000 in gross farm revenues.
(e) "Farmland preservation agreement" has the meaning given in s. 91.01 (15).
(f) "Farmland preservation zoning district" has the meaning given in s. 91.01 (18).
(g) "Gross farm revenues" means gross receipts from agricultural use of a farm, excluding rent receipts, less the cost or other basis of livestock or other agricultural items purchased for resale which are sold or otherwise disposed of during the taxable year.
(ge) "Household" means an individual and his or her spouse and all minor dependents.
(h) "Qualifying acres" means the number of acres of a farm that correlate to a claimant's percentage of ownership interest in a farm to which one of the following applies:
1. The farm is wholly or partially covered by a farmland preservation agreement, except that if the farm is only partially covered, the qualifying acres calculation includes only those acres which are covered by a farmland preservation agreement.
2. The farm is located in a farmland preservation zoning district at the end of the taxable year to which the claim relates.
3. If the claimant transferred the claimant's ownership interest in the farm during the taxable year to which the claim relates, the farm was wholly or partially covered by a farmland preservation agreement, or the farm was located in a farmland preservation zoning district, on the date on which the claimant transferred the ownership interest. For the purposes of this subdivision, a land contract is a transfer of ownership interest.
(2) FILING CLAIMS. Subject to the limitations and conditions provided in sub. (3), a claimant may claim as a credit against the tax imposed under s. 71.02, 71.08, 71.23, or 71.43, an amount calculated by multiplying the claimant's qualifying acres by one of the following amounts, and if the allowable amount of the claim exceeds the income taxes otherwise due on the claimant's income or if there are no Wisconsin income taxes due on the claimant's income, the amount of the claim not used as an offset against income taxes shall be certified by the department of revenue to the department of administration for payment to the claimant by check, share draft, or other draft from the appropriations under s. 20.835 (2) (do) and (qb):
(a) Ten dollars, if the qualifying acres are located in a farmland preservation zoning district and are also subject to a farmland preservation agreement that is entered into after the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date].
(b) Seven dollars and 50 cents, if the qualifying acres are located in a farmland preservation zoning district but are not subject to a farmland preservation agreement that is entered into after the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date].
(c) Five dollars, if the qualifying acres are subject to a farmland preservation agreement that is entered into after the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date], but are not located in a farmland preservation zoning district.
(3) LIMITATIONS AND CONDITIONS. (a) No credit may be allowed under this section unless all of the following apply:
1. The claimant certifies to the department that the claimant has paid, or is legally responsible for paying, the property taxes levied against the qualifying acres to which the claim relates.
2. The claimant certifies to the department that at the end of the taxable year to which the claim relates or, on the date on which the person transferred the person's ownership interest in the farm if the transfer occurs during the taxable year to which the claim relates, there was no outstanding notice of noncompliance issued against the farm under s. 91.82 (2).
3. The claimant submits to the department a certification of compliance with soil and water conservation standards, as required by s. 91.80, issued by the county land conservation committee unless, in the last preceding year, the claimant received a tax credit under ss. 71.57 to 71.61 or this section for the same farm.
(b) If a farm is jointly owned by 2 or more persons who file separate income or franchise tax returns, each person may claim a credit under this section based on the person's ownership interest in the farm.
(c) If a person acquires or transfers ownership of a farm during a taxable year for which a claim may be filed under this section, the person may file a claim under this section based on the person's liability for the property taxes levied on the person's qualifying acres for the taxable year to which the claim relates.
(d) A claimant shall claim the credit under this section on a form prepared by the department and shall submit any documentation required by the department. On the claim form, the claimant shall certify all of the following:
1. The number of qualifying acres for which the credit is claimed.
2. The location and tax parcel number for each parcel on which the qualifying acres are located.
4. That the qualifying acres are covered by a farmland preservation agreement or located in a farmland preservation zoning district, or both.
5. That the qualifying acres are part of a farm that complies with applicable state soil and water conservation standards, as required by s. 91.80.
(e) No credit may be allowed under this section unless it is claimed within the time period under s. 71.75 (2).
(f) The maximum amount of the credits that may be claimed under this section in any fiscal year is $27,280,000. If the total amount of eligible claims exceed this amount, the excess claims shall be paid in the next succeeding fiscal year to ensure that the limit specified in this paragraph is not exceeded.
(g) For the 2011-2012 fiscal year, and for every succeeding fiscal year, the department shall prorate the per acre amounts specified in sub. (2) based on the department's estimated amount of eligible claims that will be filed for that fiscal year, and to account for any excess claims from the preceding fiscal year that are required to be paid under par. (f).
(h) If the payment to which an eligible claimant is entitled under sub. (2) is delayed because the claim was an excess claim, as described in par. (f), the claimant is not entitled to any interest payment under s. 71.82 with regard to the delayed claim or with regard to any other refund to which the claimant is entitled if that other refund claim is claimed on the same income tax return as the credit under this section.
(4) ADMINISTRATION. The department may enforce the credit under this section and may take any action, conduct any proceeding, and proceed as it is authorized in respect to taxes under this chapter. The income and franchise tax provisions in this chapter relating to assessments, refunds, appeals, collection, interest, and penalties apply to the credit under this section.
SECTION 70. Chapter 91 of the statutes is repealed and recreated to read:
CHAPTER 91
FARMLAND PRESERVATION
SUBCHAPTER I
DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL PROVISIONS
91.01 Definitions. In this chapter:
(1) "Accessory use" means any of the following land uses on a farm:
(a) A building, structure, or improvement that is an integral part of, or is incidental to, an agricultural use.
(b) An activity or business operation that is an integral part of, or incidental to, an agricultural use.
(c) A farm residence.
(d) A business, activity, or enterprise, whether or not associated with an agricultural use, that is conducted by the owner or operator of a farm, that requires no buildings, structures, or improvements other than those described in par. (a) or (c), that employs no more than 4 full-time employees annually, and that does not impair or limit the current or future agricultural use of the farm or of other protected farmland.
(e) Any other use that the department, by rule, identifies as an accessory use.
(1m) "Agricultural enterprise area" means an area designated in accordance with s. 91.84.
(2) "Agricultural use" means any of the following:
(a) Any of the following activities conducted for the purpose of producing an income or livelihood:
1. Crop or forage production.
2. Keeping livestock.
3. Beekeeping.
4. Nursery, sod, or Christmas tree production.
4m. Floriculture.
5. Aquaculture.
6. Fur farming.
7. Forest management.
8. Enrolling land in a federal agricultural commodity payment program or a federal or state agricultural land conservation payment program.
(b) Any other use that the department, by rule, identifies as an agricultural use.
(3) "Agriculture-related use" means any of the following:
(a) An agricultural equipment dealership, facility providing agricultural supplies, facility for storing or processing agricultural products, or facility for processing agricultural wastes.
(b) Any other use that the department, by rule, identifies as an agriculture-related use.
(5) "Base farm tract" means one of the following:
(a) All land, whether one parcel or 2 or more contiguous parcels, that is in a farmland preservation zoning district and that is part of a single farm when the department under s. 91.36 (1) first certifies the farmland preservation zoning ordinance covering the land, regardless of any subsequent changes in the size of the farm.
(b) Any other tract that the department by rule defines as a base farm tract.
(6) "Certified farmland preservation plan" means a farmland preservation plan that is certified as determined under s. 91.12.
(7) "Certified farmland preservation zoning ordinance" means a zoning ordinance that is certified as determined under s. 91.32.
(8) "Chief elected official" means the mayor of a city or, if the city is organized under subch. I of ch. 64, the president of the council of that city, the village president of a village, the town board chairperson of a town, or the county executive of a county, or, if the county does not have a county executive, the chairperson of the county board of supervisors.
(9) "Comprehensive plan" has the meaning given in s. 66.1001 (1) (a).
(10) "Conditional use" means a use allowed under a conditional use permit, special exception, or other special zoning permission issued by a political subdivision.
(11) "County land conservation committee" means a committee created under s. 92.06 (1).
(12) "Department" means the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection.
(13) "Farm" means all land under common ownership that is primarily devoted to agricultural use.
(14) "Farm acreage" means size of a farm in acres.
(15) "Farmland preservation agreement" means any of the following agreements between an owner of land and the department under which the owner agrees to restrict the use of land in return for tax credits:
(a) A farmland preservation agreement or transition area agreement entered into under s. 91.13, 2007 stats., or s. 91.14, 2007 stats.
(b) An agreement entered into under s. 91.60 (1).
(16) "Farmland preservation area" means an area that is planned primarily for agricultural use or agriculture-related use, or both, and that is one of the following:
(a) Identified as an agricultural preservation area or transition area in a farmland preservation plan described in s. 91.12 (1).
(b) Identified under s. 91.10 (1) (d) in a farmland preservation plan described in s. 91.12 (2).
(17) "Farmland preservation plan" means a plan for the preservation of farmland in a county, including an agricultural preservation plan under subch. IV of ch. 91, 2007 stats.
(18) "Farmland preservation zoning district" means any of the following:
(a) An area zoned for exclusive agricultural use under an ordinance described in s. 91.32 (1).
(b) A farmland preservation zoning district designated under s. 91.38 (1) (c) in an ordinance described in s. 91.32 (2).
(19) "Farm residence" means any of the following structures that is located on a farm:
(a) A single-family or duplex residence that is the only residential structure on the farm or is occupied by any of the following:
1. An owner or operator of the farm.
2. A parent or child of an owner or operator of the farm.
3. An individual who earns more than 50 percent of his or her gross income from the farm.
(b) A migrant labor camp that is certified under s. 103.92.
(20) "Gross farm revenues" has the meaning given in s. 71.613 (1) (g).
(20m) "Livestock" means bovine animals, equine animals, goats, poultry, sheep, swine, farm-raised deer, farm-raised game birds, camelids, ratites, and farm-raised fish.
(21) "Nonfarm residence" means a single-family or multi-family residence other than a farm residence.
(22) "Nonfarm residential acreage" means the total number of acres of all parcels on which nonfarm residences are located.
(22m) "Overlay district" means a zoning district that is superimposed on one or more other zoning districts and imposes additional restrictions on the underlying districts.
(23) "Owner" means a person who has an ownership interest in land.
(23m) "Permitted use" means a use that is allowed without a conditional use permit, special exception, or other special zoning permission.
