The California Land Conservation Act of 1965 , (commonly
referred to as the "Williamson" Act after the
author of the Act, State Senator Jon C. Williamson) was
formulated by the State Legislature in order to protect
agricultural, wetland, and scenic areas of the state from
unnecessary or premature conversion to urban uses. In Kings
County the program is enforced through provisions of the
California Land Conservation Act of 1965 found in Section
51200 et seq. of the State Government Code, and Sections
421 to 429 of the State Revenue and Taxation Code.
The
California Land Conservation Act of 1965 is explicit in
its pronouncement of the State's responsibility for protecting
its agricultural industry from stagnation and recession.
A major threat to agriculture in the State has resulted
from:
(1)
Inharmonious or conflicting land use activities due to the
population growth of the State;
(2)
Activities which disrupt the ecological balance of agricultural
production; and
(3)
Property tax evaluation methods.
Essentially,
these threats represent by-products of California's rapid
urbanization and population growth.
The
Act was drafted to reflect the principles that "first,
it is in the public interest to guarantee the future agricultural
use of our best agricultural land and second, that farmers
who are willing to provide the public with such a guarantee
are entitled to protection from forces that might otherwise
drive them out of agriculture." The basis for preferential
taxation is indeed justified since the farmer who chooses
to enter the "Williamson" Act in fact guarantees
to the people of the state the continual use of land for
agricultural or open space activities. It again follows
that contrary to the opinion of some, both within and outside
the agricultural industry, preferential tax treatment is
a valid concept since it results in the perpetuation of
agriculture.
The
agricultural preserve contract states that a property owner
will preserve farmland in Kings County. In return the owner
receives a lower assessment on their property. Any questions
regarding assessments and taxes should be directed to the
Kings County Assessor's Office.
In general,
each Land Conservation or Farmland Security Zone Contract
provides that property in an Agricultural Preserve or Farmland
Security Zone may not be used by the owner, or their successors,
for any purpose other than the production of agricultural
products for commercial purposes and those related uses
established in the Uniform Rules of the Preserves in Kings
County found Appendix A of this brochure. In addition, the
life time of a Land Conservation Contract cannot be less
than ten (10) years. Farmland Security Zone contracts cannot
be less than twenty (20) years. Both types of contracts
automatically renew for one additional year on the 1st of
January of each year. The automatic renewal will continue
indefinitely unless a notice of non-renewal is filed.
The
agricultural preserve program was first implemented in Kings
County in 1969. At present the County has 1663 Williamson
Act contracts and 227 Farmland Security Zone contracts.
These contracts have placed approximately 718,551 acres
in some sort of ag preserve status. Applications to place
land in a Williamson Act contract or a Farmland Security
Zone contract are accepted from August 1st to September
30th of each year. Applications for notice of non-renewal
are accepted all year.
Attached
is the County of Kings Implementation Procedures for the
Land Conservation Program and a County of Kings Williamson
Act/Farmland Security Zone Map. Information can be obtained
by calling (559) 582-3211, ext. 2682.
Implementation
Procedures in PDF Format
Williamson
Act / Farmland Security Zone Map JPG
PDF
