Action Plan
Recruitment and Retention
Hunter Access
Legal
New York
Recreational Use/Recreational Trespass Laws
§ 9-103. No duty to keep premises safe for certain uses; responsibility for acts of such users
1. Except as provided in subdivision two,
(a) an owner, lessee or occupant of premises, whether or not posted as provided in section 11-2111 of the environmental conservation law, owes no duty to keep the premises safe for entry or use by others for hunting, fishing, organized gleaning as defined in section seventy-one-y of the agriculture and markets law, canoeing, boating, trapping, hiking, cross-country skiing, tobogganing, sledding, speleological activities, horseback riding, bicycle riding, hang gliding, motorized vehicle operation for recreational purposes, snowmobile operation, cutting or gathering of wood for non-commercial purposes or training of dogs, or to give warning of any hazardous condition or use of or structure or activity on such premises to persons entering for such purposes;
(b) an owner, lessee or occupant of premises who gives permission to another to pursue any such activities upon such premises does not thereby (1) extend any assurance that the premises are safe for such purpose, or (2) constitute the person to whom permission is granted an invitee to whom a duty of care is owed, or (3) assume responsibility for or incur liability for any injury to person or property caused by any act of persons to whom the permission is granted.
(c) an owner, lessee or occupant of a farm, as defined in section six hundred seventy-one of the labor law, whether or not posted as provided in section 11-2111 of the environmental conservation law, owes no duty to keep such farm safe for entry or use by a person who enters or remains in or upon such farm without consent or privilege, or to give warning of any hazardous condition or use of or structure or activity on such farm to persons so entering or remaining. This shall not be interpreted, or construed, as a limit on liability for acts of gross negligence in addition to those other acts referred to in subdivision two of this section.
2. This section does not limit the liability which would otherwise exist
(a) for willful or malicious failure to guard, or to warn against, a dangerous condition, use, structure or activity; or
(b) for injury suffered in any case where permission to pursue any of the activities enumerated in this section was granted for a consideration other than the consideration, if any, paid to said landowner by the state or federal government, or permission to train dogs was granted for a consideration other than that provided for in section 11-0925 of the environmental conservation law; or
(c) for injury caused, by acts of persons to whom permission to pursue any of the activities enumerated in this section was granted, to other persons as to whom the person granting permission, or the owner, lessee or occupant of the premises, owed a duty to keep the premises safe or to warn of danger.
3. Nothing in this section creates a duty of care or ground of liability for injury to person or property.
Financial Incentives for Public Access
Statute: Ag. and Markets Law Article 25AA §§ 305 N.Y. Real. Prop. Tax Law, Article 4 480, 481.
http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menugetf.cgi
Method of Assessment: Agricultural soil productivity, eligible tracts of forest land are exempt but subject to stumpage fees.
Application: Yes
Plan Requirements: A management plan is required for forestland assessment eligibility.
Penalties: There are penalty taxes that may be invoked for noncompliance with a forestland management plan. Penalties are computed by multiplying by two and one-half the amount of taxes that would have been levied on the forest land exemption
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
New York has no current use taxation to promote open space or recreation.
New York has no tax incentives to provide hunter access.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
New York has no tax incentives for land subject to conservation easements.
New York does provide a tax credit for the donation of conservation easements.
Statute: New York Tax Law § 606(kk).
Program: Landowners that donate their land to preserve open space can receive a state income tax credit of 25% of the landowner’s property tax up to $5,000/year. This statute is retroactive; thus, it does not matter when the easement was purchased. The credit runs with the land so all subsequent landowners to land under a conservation easement will receive the credit. The conservation easement must conform to Title 3 Article 49 of the New York Environmental Conservation Law. Importantly, this credit only applies to county, town, or school district property taxes – not to city or village property taxes.
Enacted: 2007
Name of Program: Fish and Wildlife Management Act Cooperative Area
Number of Acres Enrolled: 144,182
No financial incentive is provided to landowners. Conservation benefits are not recorded.
For additional information regarding this state’s hunter access programs or efforts, please view the Hunting Heritage Action Plan Hunter Access Program Assessment Survey Report.
Case Law
Schoonmaker v. Ridge Runners Club 99 Inc. 500 N.Y.S.2d 562
-Membership dues paid to recreation club in exchange for rights to use property, to cut trees, and to take wood from club's property constituted “consideration” for permission of members to cut trees which injured members' guest on club's property and, therefore, brought recreation club within exception to immunity for injuries caused by noncommercial woodcutting on its property if permission was granted for “consideration.”
Hulett v. Niagra Mohawk Power Corp. 1 A.D.3d 999
-In action seeking damages for injuries sustained by infant plaintiffs when they were struck by trains operated by Railroad defendants, after having ridden their bicycles on paths and access roads on adjacent property, cause of action alleging that Railroad defendants were negligent for failing to prevent access to their property dismissed-General Obligations Law § 9-103 (1) (a) grants immunity for ordinary negligence to landowners who permit members of public to come on their property to engage in certain recreational activities, including bicycle riding-activity that infant plaintiffs were engaged in at time they were injured, i.e., walking across tracks, was “sufficiently related” to their bicycle riding such that they were engaged in covered activity at time of accident-further, based on evidence of past recreational use, property was suitable for bicycle riding.

