This bill allows property owners within the Highlands preservation area to request exclusion from the preservation area under specific conditions starting August 10, 2009. If a property owner offers their land for sale to the State and the offer is rejected due to a lack of available funding to purchase the property at fair market value, the owner can submit a written request to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and the Chair of the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council. This request must include documentation from the State confirming the lack of funds. If approved, the property would be exempt from certain provisions of the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act and would be regulated similarly to properties in the planning area.

The bill stipulates that this exclusion applies only to property owners who owned the land at the time of the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act's enactment and have maintained continuous ownership since then, or to immediate family members of such owners. Additionally, the bill mandates that the exclusion be recorded on the property's deed and that the relevant authorities update all maps and descriptions of the preservation area to reflect this change.