Williamson Act
Pressures of Urban Expansion May Cause Fewer Contract Renewals
Why is it important?
Agriculture is the most extensive private land use in the Sierra Nevada, producing jobs and income while maintaining space in a local landscape valued by residents and visitors. Enrollment in the Williamson Act is an indicator of future farm acreage in the Sierra Nevada. Decreases in enrollments will likely lead to an increase in conversion of land to urban uses in the near future as landowners perceive urban development pressures and choose not to reenroll in the Act.
The California Land Conservation Act of 1965, better known as the Williamson Act, was designed to provide tax relief to agricultural landowners in order to safeguard productive land from premature urban development or expansion. This is done through a ten-year rolling Williamson Act contract, an agreement on the part of the landowner to continue agricultural production or preservation. The Act reduces property tax liability for enrollees. Without the Williamson Act, agricultural property would be valued for its potential urban use. Near expanding cities, urban use is valued much higher than agricultural use.4
How are we doing?
As of 2003, 10 of the 12 Sierra Nevada counties participated in the Williamson Act program. Alpine and Inyo counties are the two exceptions. Since 1991, the number of acres enrolled in the program have increased less than one percent across the Sierra Nevada, from 771,000 to 776,500 acres, while there has been a four percent increase at the California level.
There has been little change in contract renewals in the North Sierra, although contracts in the North Central Sierra declined significantly in the 1990s and more recent years. More agricultural land in the area is potentially committed to future development through the non-renewal process, which takes place over a period of nine years as tax liability gradually increases. This trend reflects an intense pressure for urban development likely to increase and impact agricultural landowners. The South Central Sierra made up the majority of acres enrolled (71 percent), although renewals there have significantly decreased in recent years. This indicates the likelihood of an increase in urban development in the future.
4 Mittlebach, F. & Wamben, D. 95. Competition for Natural Resources in California’s Sierra Nevada. Retrieved May 12, 2005 from http://www.sppsr.ucla.edu/calpolicy/Mittlebach1.pdf
