(A) A person who owns or operates agricultural land or an animal feeding operation may develop and operate under an operation and management plan approved by the director of agriculture or the director's designee under section 939.02 of the Revised Code or by the supervisors of the applicable soil and water conservation district under section 940.06 of the Revised Code.

(B) A person who wishes to make a complaint regarding nuisances involving agricultural pollution may do so orally or by submitting a written, signed, and dated complaint to the director or to the director's designee. After receiving an oral complaint, the director or the director's designee may cause an investigation to be conducted to determine whether agricultural pollution has occurred or is imminent. After receiving a written, signed, and dated complaint, the director or the director's designee shall cause such an investigation to be conducted.

(C) In a private civil action for nuisances involving agricultural pollution, it is an affirmative defense if the person owning, operating, or otherwise responsible for agricultural land or an animal feeding operation is operating under and in substantial compliance with an approved operation and management plan developed under division (A) of this section, with an operation and management plan developed by the director or the director's designee under section 939.02 of the Revised Code or by the supervisors of the applicable soil and water conservation district under section 940.06 of the Revised Code, or with an operation and management plan required under division (A)(2) of section 939.02 of the Revised Code. Nothing in this section is in derogation of the authority granted to the director in division (E) of section 939.02 and in section 939.07 of the Revised Code.

Added by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 1/1/2016.