Cabonne landholders with more than 40 acres are being asked to submit a farmland application form to be eligible for the farmland rates category.

Properties larger than 40 hectares were previously automatically placed in the farmland category, but that approach no longer aligns with legislative requirements, Cabonne Council has said in a statement.

For rates purposes, land can no longer be categorised on size alone, the category needs to be confirmed based on land use, Cabonne Council said in a statement.

This means the council has updated its Farmland Application process and landholders will now be required to submit a Farmland Application Form every four years so that council can verify that properties continue to meet the criteria.

"While the form itself isn’t new, the four-year renewal cycle is," Cabonne said in a statement.

Some applicants may also be asked to provide supporting documents, such as LLS rate returns, business registrations, or land use maps.

In some cases, site inspections may be necessary.

"This helps ensure decisions are accurate and consistent," the statement said.

Under Section 515 of the Local Government Act, land can be categorised as farmland if it meets certain criteria, most notably that the dominant use of the land is for farming (that is, the business or industry of grazing, animal feedlots, dairying, pig farming, poultry farming, viticulture, orchard, bee-keeping, horticulture, vegetable growing, the growing of crops of any kind, forestry or aquaculture within the meaning of the Fisheries Management Act 1994, or any combination of those businesses or industries) which:

a) has significant and substantial commercial purpose or character, and

b) Is engaged in for the purpose of profit on a continuous or repetitive basis (whether or not a profit is actually made).

If an application isn’t submitted or if a property doesn’t meet the criteria, its rating category will be adjusted for future rating years, Cabonne said in its statement.

Any changes will be communicated in writing, in line with legislative requirements.

The council has extended the deadline for submissions - originally due this month - to COB Friday, 20 March 2026 and a follow up letter has been issued to landholders who haven’t yet responded.

Applications can be submitted online, downloaded as a hardcopy, or collected from any Council office. Completed forms can be lodged in person, mailed, or sent electronically for convenience.

Council’s rates team can help with any questions or application assistance.

The council says it's important to note that changes to a property’s rating category do not increase the total amount of rates the council collects.

Even though individual rates may go up or down following a change in category, under NSW legislation, a council’s overall general rate income is capped each year by IPART’s rate peg, meaning reclassification simply redistributes how the existing rates burden is shared across property owners rather than generating extra revenue.