WILLIAMSON
ACT
The
The Williamson Act was created to balance the pressure of urban growth
by providing an incentive for farmers and ranchers to remain in
agriculture.
The Williamson Act has been serving the conservation of
WHAT IS THE WILLIAMSON ACT?
The Williamson Act is a voluntary land conservation program. It is administered by counties and cities
with technical assistance from the California Department of Conservation. Within
The Act has several purposes:
·
To preserve farmland for a
secure food supply for the state and nation and for future generations.
·
To maintain agriculture’s
contribution to local and state economic health.
·
To provide economic relief
to tax-burdened farmers and ranchers
·
To promote orderly city
growth and discourage leapfrog development and premature loss of farmland.
·
To preserve open space for
its scenic, social, aesthetic and wildlife values.
HOW DOES THE WILLIAMSON ACT WORK?
When land is enrolled in a Williamson Act contract, landowners are
taxed at a lower rate, using a scale based on the actual use of the land for
agricultural purposes as opposed to its unrestricted market value. In turn, the landowners commit to restricting
the use of their land to agricultural and open space uses for 10 years.
Counties and cities lose property tax revenue when land is enrolled
in the Williamson Act contract. To
partially compensate for this loss, the state pays each county and city
participating in the Williamson Act a “subvention” payment based on the amount
of acreage and the quality of agricultural or open space land enrolled.
FACTS ABOUT THE WILLIAMSON ACT
Approximately 16 million acres or about one half of the state’s 30
million acres of agricultural and open space land is currently protected under
the Williamson Act.
Nearly 70 percent of the state’s prime agricultural land is
protected under the act.
One in three Williamson Act farmers and ranchers say that without
the Act they would not be in business.
And according to a recent
In 1993 Governor Wilson enacted legislation providing expanded
protection and safeguarding of farmland by increasing subventions from $14
million to $35 million. Nearly all of
the 47 counties participating in the Act will receive more funding with the new
payment schedule.
HAS THE WILLIAMSON ACT WORKED?
Forty-seven of the state’s 52 agricultural counties and 20 cities
participate in the Act.
After 35 years the Williamson Act is still
The Williamson Act is estimated to save agricultural landowners
from 20 percent to 75 percent in property tax liability each year.
The last state documented study showed that farmers had a total tax
saving of approximately $120 million due to the Williamson Act.
In addition to the benefit of protecting farmland from land
speculation and urbanization, the Williamson Act is increasingly used as an
effective land use planning tool by local governments.
Provided by the California Department of
Conservation at www.conserv.ca.gov
* LESS GOVERNMENT *
LESS
REGULATION * MORE FREEDOM *
* LESS TAXES *
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Placer County Taxpayers, Auburn, CA
The
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