Open Space and Farmland Protection

How we protect land

Since the early 1990s, the Durham County Open Space Program has worked with interested landowners to permanently conserve 4,127 acres of open space across the County. Broadly speaking, there are two ways we work with landowners to protect land:

• Acquisition: Landowners choose to sell or donate their land directly to the County. This land is added to the County's system of open space preserves and parks. Durham County has protected 1,429 acres through fee simple acquisition.
• Easements: Landowners choose to convey the development rights to the County through a conservation easement. This allows the land to remain in private ownership but ensures it will beforever protected. Easements are permanent and run with the property deed, meaning that they remain in place regardless of who owns the property. 2,698 acres of open space in Durham County are protected through County-held conservation easements, most of which - 2,422 acres - are on working lands like farms and forests. 

Farmland Protection Program

Farmland preservation is a unique and important part of Durham County's Open Space Program. Durham County helps to preserve farmland for future generations by purchasing the development rights and placing a permanent conservation easement on the farm that protects important agricultural soils and conservation values on the farm. The program relies heavily on grants and donations to reduce the County's costs of preserving farmland and is guided by Durham's Farmland Protection Advisory Board. 

To learn more about farmland protection, contact Celeste Burns, Open Space and Real Estate Division Manager, at cburns@dconc.gov or (919) 560 - 7956.

Plans and Policies

The Durham County Open Space Program works to implement conservation policies and plans adopted by the Board of County Commissioners. 

The Durham Comprehensive Plan, jointly adopted by Durham County and the City of Durham in 2023, includes several open space-related goals and objectives. 

In addition, five Open Space Plans, dating back to the early 1990s, set goals and objectives for protecting land in specific areas of Durham County.

1. The New Hope Creek Corridor Open Space Plan (1991)
2. The Little River Corridor Open Space Plan (2001)
3. The Eastern Durham Open Space Plan (2007)
4. Downtown Open Space Plan (2014)
5. Urban Open Space Plan (2017)