diff --git a/.changes/unreleased/Under the Hood-20240327-001304.yaml b/.changes/unreleased/Under the Hood-20240327-001304.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3e823ec86
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/unreleased/Under the Hood-20240327-001304.yaml	
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+kind: Under the Hood
+body: Lazy load agate
+time: 2024-03-27T00:13:04.246062-04:00
+custom:
+  Author: dwreeves
+  Issue: "953"
diff --git a/dbt/adapters/snowflake/connections.py b/dbt/adapters/snowflake/connections.py
index af26279e8..83c994aa6 100644
--- a/dbt/adapters/snowflake/connections.py
+++ b/dbt/adapters/snowflake/connections.py
@@ -8,10 +8,7 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass
 from io import StringIO
 from time import sleep
-from typing import Optional, Tuple, Union, Any, List
-
-import agate
-from dbt_common.clients.agate_helper import empty_table
+from typing import Optional, Tuple, Union, Any, List, TYPE_CHECKING
 
 from cryptography.hazmat.backends import default_backend
 from cryptography.hazmat.primitives import serialization
@@ -46,6 +43,9 @@
 from dbt.adapters.events.types import AdapterEventWarning
 from dbt_common.ui import line_wrap_message, warning_tag
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    import agate
+
 
 logger = AdapterLogger("Snowflake")
 
@@ -465,9 +465,11 @@ def process_results(cls, column_names, rows):
 
     def execute(
         self, sql: str, auto_begin: bool = False, fetch: bool = False, limit: Optional[int] = None
-    ) -> Tuple[AdapterResponse, agate.Table]:
+    ) -> Tuple[AdapterResponse, "agate.Table"]:
         # don't apply the query comment here
         # it will be applied after ';' queries are split
+        from dbt_common.clients.agate_helper import empty_table
+
         _, cursor = self.add_query(sql, auto_begin)
         response = self.get_response(cursor)
         if fetch:
diff --git a/dbt/adapters/snowflake/impl.py b/dbt/adapters/snowflake/impl.py
index ebb15f753..6adb8dd35 100644
--- a/dbt/adapters/snowflake/impl.py
+++ b/dbt/adapters/snowflake/impl.py
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass
-from typing import Mapping, Any, Optional, List, Union, Dict, FrozenSet, Tuple
+from typing import Mapping, Any, Optional, List, Union, Dict, FrozenSet, Tuple, TYPE_CHECKING
 
-import agate
 
 from dbt.adapters.base.impl import AdapterConfig, ConstraintSupport
 from dbt.adapters.base.meta import available
@@ -19,6 +18,9 @@
 from dbt_common.exceptions import CompilationError, DbtDatabaseError, DbtRuntimeError
 from dbt_common.utils import filter_null_values
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    import agate
+
 
 @dataclass
 class SnowflakeConfig(AdapterConfig):
@@ -63,8 +65,8 @@ def date_function(cls):
 
     @classmethod
     def _catalog_filter_table(
-        cls, table: agate.Table, used_schemas: FrozenSet[Tuple[str, str]]
-    ) -> agate.Table:
+        cls, table: "agate.Table", used_schemas: FrozenSet[Tuple[str, str]]
+    ) -> "agate.Table":
         # On snowflake, users can set QUOTED_IDENTIFIERS_IGNORE_CASE, so force
         # the column names to their lowercased forms.
         lowered = table.rename(column_names=[c.lower() for c in table.column_names])
@@ -183,7 +185,7 @@ def quote_seed_column(self, column: str, quote_config: Optional[bool]) -> str:
             return column
 
     @available
-    def standardize_grants_dict(self, grants_table: agate.Table) -> dict:
+    def standardize_grants_dict(self, grants_table: "agate.Table") -> dict:
         grants_dict: Dict[str, Any] = {}
 
         for row in grants_table:
diff --git a/dbt/adapters/snowflake/relation_configs/base.py b/dbt/adapters/snowflake/relation_configs/base.py
index 1cb334c9d..cdcbfedf3 100644
--- a/dbt/adapters/snowflake/relation_configs/base.py
+++ b/dbt/adapters/snowflake/relation_configs/base.py
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass
-from typing import Any, Dict, Optional
-import agate
+from typing import Any, Dict, Optional, TYPE_CHECKING
 from dbt.adapters.base.relation import Policy
 from dbt.adapters.relation_configs import (
     RelationConfigBase,
@@ -14,6 +13,9 @@
     SnowflakeQuotePolicy,
 )
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    import agate
+
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True, eq=True, unsafe_hash=True)
 class SnowflakeRelationConfigBase(RelationConfigBase):
@@ -62,8 +64,10 @@ def _render_part(cls, component: ComponentName, value: Optional[str]) -> Optiona
         return None
 
     @classmethod
-    def _get_first_row(cls, results: agate.Table) -> agate.Row:
+    def _get_first_row(cls, results: "agate.Table") -> "agate.Row":
         try:
             return results.rows[0]
         except IndexError:
+            import agate
+
             return agate.Row(values=set())
diff --git a/dbt/adapters/snowflake/relation_configs/dynamic_table.py b/dbt/adapters/snowflake/relation_configs/dynamic_table.py
index d1b6a5ba3..74735cbd5 100644
--- a/dbt/adapters/snowflake/relation_configs/dynamic_table.py
+++ b/dbt/adapters/snowflake/relation_configs/dynamic_table.py
@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass
-from typing import Optional, Dict, Any
+from typing import Optional, Dict, Any, TYPE_CHECKING
 
-import agate
 from dbt.adapters.relation_configs import RelationConfigChange, RelationResults
 from dbt.adapters.contracts.relation import RelationConfig
 from dbt.adapters.contracts.relation import ComponentName
 
 from dbt.adapters.snowflake.relation_configs.base import SnowflakeRelationConfigBase
 
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    import agate
+
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True, eq=True, unsafe_hash=True)
 class SnowflakeDynamicTableConfig(SnowflakeRelationConfigBase):
@@ -62,7 +64,7 @@ def parse_relation_config(cls, relation_config: RelationConfig) -> Dict[str, Any
 
     @classmethod
     def parse_relation_results(cls, relation_results: RelationResults) -> Dict:
-        dynamic_table: agate.Row = relation_results["dynamic_table"].rows[0]
+        dynamic_table: "agate.Row" = relation_results["dynamic_table"].rows[0]
 
         config_dict = {
             "name": dynamic_table.get("name"),