Pennsylvania
Buying Land in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Seat Lancaster, home to some of the most productive non-irrigated farmland anywhere in the country and the oldest, largest single Amish settlement in the world. A land buyer here should expect two things most Pennsylvania counties don't combine at this scale: a genuinely large, active farmland-preservation program that has already permanently restricted roughly a third of the county's agriculturally zoned land, and a Plain-community presence substantial enough to shape everyday land-use practice.
The most productive non-irrigated farmland in the country -- and a lot of it is now permanently preserved
Lancaster County's soils are widely considered among the best non-irrigated farmland in the world, and the county is frequently cited as the single most productive non-irrigated farming county in the United States. That productivity, combined with intense suburban growth pressure radiating out from Lancaster city and the broader Philadelphia-to-Harrisburg corridor, has made farmland preservation a genuinely large, decades-long county priority rather than a token program. The county's Agricultural Preserve Board, funded by both state and county sources, offers farmers up to $4,000 per acre for a conservation easement -- a permanent restriction recorded against the title that forfeits the right to develop the land for housing, industrial, or commercial use while preserving the farmer's ongoing agricultural rights. As of the end of 2025, the program had preserved roughly 90,867 acres across 1,109 family farms, with the county on pace to cross 125,000 acres -- about 32% of all agriculturally zoned farmland countywide -- by year's end.
For a land buyer, this changes the due-diligence question in a specific way: it isn't enough to check current zoning on a Lancaster County farm parcel, because zoning can potentially be changed by a future township decision while a recorded conservation easement generally cannot be undone by any subsequent owner. Before buying farmland here with any development intent -- even a distant one -- confirm directly with the county Agricultural Preserve Board and a title search at the Recorder of Deeds whether the specific parcel already carries a preservation easement, and if not, whether an adjoining or nearby preserved farm affects buffer or use expectations. See our dedicated farmland standalone for Lancaster County for the specifics of how the program works and what to check.
The largest Amish settlement in the world calls Lancaster County home
Lancaster County is home to the oldest continuously settled Amish community in North America, founded in 1760, and today the largest single Amish settlement in the world -- estimates put the population at roughly 43,000 to 44,000 Amish residents as of recent counts, a number that has grown substantially even as some Lancaster-area Amish families have begun moving west to found new, less land-constrained settlements elsewhere in Pennsylvania and beyond. This is not a museum-piece presence: Plain Sect entrepreneurship has grown dramatically here too, from almost no Amish-owned businesses in Lancaster County before 1970 to roughly 1,600 Amish businesses estimated by 2003, many of them agricultural or building-trade operations that interact directly with local zoning and building officials.
For a land buyer, the practical takeaway is that municipal zoning, building, and Sewage Enforcement offices across Lancaster County's more Plain-community-heavy townships have real, ongoing experience working with religious accommodation requests -- for example, around building techniques or utility connections -- but this project could not independently verify any specific, documented statewide or countywide exemption from standard septic, well, or building-code requirements for Amish or Plain Sect property owners. If accommodation is relevant to a specific purchase or building plan, ask the township and a local Sewage Enforcement Officer directly what has been done on comparable properties nearby rather than assuming a blanket rule either way.
Zoning, septic, and other departments to know
Lancaster County itself does not impose county-wide zoning -- each municipality adopts its own ordinance under the MPC -- but the Lancaster County Planning Department has developed and promotes a notable regional tool called "Simplified Zoning," which encourages municipalities to write zoning based on a use's actual impact and intensity rather than a long, rigid list of named permitted uses. A number of Lancaster County municipalities have adopted some version of this approach, which can make zoning language read differently here than in a typical Pennsylvania township; ask the specific municipality whether it has adopted Simplified Zoning and how that changes what's permitted on a given parcel.
Lancaster County does not operate its own county health department, so septic permitting for a new onlot sewage disposal system runs through the standard statewide Act 537 process via a DEP-certified Sewage Enforcement Officer retained by the municipality. The Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds (150 North Queen Street, 3rd Floor, Lancaster; 717-299-8238) holds deeds, easements, and any recorded agricultural conservation easements -- the necessary check for both mineral history and preservation status -- and the county Assessment office (same address, Suite 310; 717-299-8381) and Planning Department (717-299-8333) round out the key county-level contacts.
Who to Call Before Buying Land in Lancaster County
Direct WebFetch to co.lancaster.pa.us and lancastercountypa.gov was not attempted in this research pass, so current staff, fees, and office hours should be confirmed directly before relying on this page for a specific parcel.
Planning & Zoning
Lancaster County Planning Department
Zoning verification for a specific municipality, including whether it has adopted the county's Simplified Zoning approach.
Other
Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board
Confirming whether a specific farm parcel already carries a recorded agricultural conservation easement, and how the preservation program works.
Septic / Onsite Wastewater
Local Municipality Sewage Enforcement Officer
Percolation testing and onlot sewage disposal system permits for a specific parcel.
GIS / Parcel Records
Lancaster County Assessment
Parcel data, property records, and assessment information.
Recorder / Clerk / Land Records
Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds
Recorded deeds, easements (including agricultural conservation easements), and title history for a specific parcel.
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Get local guidanceTopics Specific to Lancaster County
Sources
- Commissioners' Office — Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (accessed 2026-09)
- Lancaster County will stay 3rd class — LancasterOnline (accessed 2026-09)
- Agricultural Preserve Board — Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (accessed 2026-09)
- Pennsylvania county set to reach 125,000 acres of preserved farmland — Bay Journal (accessed 2026-09)
- Pennsylvania Amish History & Beliefs — Discover Lancaster (accessed 2026-09)
- The Amish in Pennsylvania Guide — Amish America (accessed 2026-09)
- Simplified Zoning — Lancaster County Planning Department (accessed 2026-09)
- Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Codes Current by County — PA Open Data Portal (accessed 2026-09)
Last reviewed 2026-09