So what is the Williamson Act anyway?

The Williamson Act, known more formally as, The California Land Conservation Act, was first written in 1965 and continues to evolve to help preserve open-space land by voluntarily restricting development on parcels for a minimum of 10 years.  

The Williamson Act has 3 main tenets

• Protect agricultural resources

• Preservation of open space land

• Promotion of efficient urban growth pattern

Article 13 was added to the state constitution of California and was an important step in the evolution of the bill’s impact.  “Article 13 declares the interest of the state in preserving open-space land and provides a constitutional basis for valuing property according to its actual use.” The amendment was eventually backed by agricultural interests seeking the preferential tax assessments.  The article,  “...provides assessments for recreational, scenic and natural resource areas as well as areas devoted to production of food and fiber.”

So how does the Williamson Act benefit you as a landowner?  Drastically reduced property taxes.  The tax assessment is based on generated income, not property market value as it is with single family homes. For landowners, this can be a SIGNIFICANT change in property taxes, allowing property ownership to be possible.  

Currently, the Williamson Act covers about 16 million acres in California, which equals about half of the agricultural land.  Because of the “auto renew” feature of the contract between landowner and government, the Williamson Act protection is essentially infinite.  

For a more detailed explanation of the Williamson Act, please visit here:  Williamson Act Program Overview

Curious where to find a property under the Williamson Act?  Reach out and we can work together to find the right property allowing you to live your best life and SAVE massively on property taxes.