Beaufort County Greenspace Program
Program Resources
Learn about upcoming meetings, governing ordinances, types of land protection, and how to apply to the Green Space Program.
Next Application Deadline:
October 31, 2025
Next Pre-Application Deadline:
October 16, 2025*
*A pre-application meeting is required no later than 15 days prior to the deadline
Adopted 2025 Committee Meeting Schedule
January 24, 2025
March 7, 2025
April 11, 2025
June 13, 2025
July 18, 2025
September 12, 2025
October 17, 2025
December 12, 2025
Types of Land Protection
The Green Space Program can consider five types of land protection strategies both inside and outside county lines, casting a wide net for conservation projects to benefit Beaufort County. Application and matching funds requirements vary for each, but all five strategies will result in either a conservation easement or fee simple procurement. Read on to learn more.
Conservation Easement:
A conservation easement is commonly used to protect private land while allowing the owner to continue owning and utilizing their land. It is a permanent agreement between the property owner and the easement holder about what is allowed to occur on the property.
To have an easement placed on a property, an accredited land trust must hold the easement and conduct, at minimum, an annual survey of the property to ensure the easement terms are not violated. Once the easement terms are determined, the property owner receives compensation for the value of the forfeited development rights.
A conservation easement is perpetual, protecting the land forever, even if the land is passed down through a will or purchased by a new owner.
Fee Simple:
When lands are protected through a fee simple process, the property owner sells their land outright to an entity that will then protect the property.
For the Green Space Program, fee simple purchases are made by government entities, including Beaufort County. The County can purchase a property in full or partner with other governments to split the cost, ownership, and future maintenance responsibilities.
Partnership purchases will require restrictive covenants be placed on the land to establish future land use and ensure permanent preservation.
When Beaufort County is the sole purchaser of a fee simple property through the Green Space Program, public access is required and the property will become a future passive park.