Existing law, the California Land Conservation Act of 1965, otherwise known as the Williamson Act, authorizes a city or county to contract with a landowner to limit the use of agricultural land to agricultural use if the land is located in an agricultural preserve designated by the city or county, as specified. Existing law authorizes the parties to mutually agree to rescind the contract in order to simultaneously enter into a solar-use easement, if the parcel is determined eligible by the Department of Conservation, as specified.
Existing law defines a "solar-use easement," for these purposes, as any right or interest acquired by a county or city in a parcel if the deed or other instrument granting the right or interest imposes restrictions that, through limitation of future use, effectively restrict the use of the land to photovoltaic solar facilities or other alternative renewable energy facilities, as specified. Existing law requires a solar-use easement to contain a covenant with the county or city running with the land, either in perpetuity or for a term of years, that the landowner shall not construct improvements except those for which the right is expressly reserved in the instrument, as specified.
This bill would, instead, require the right or interest in the parcel acquired by the city or county described above to be for a term of years, rather than an indefinite period, and the covenant with the county or city contained in the easement described above to run with the land for a term of years, rather than indefinitely. The bill would make these changes applicable only to easements rescinded and converted to solar use pursuant to these provisions after January 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
AB 1156: 51190 GOV
02/20/25 - Introduced: 51190 GOV