Land Conservation Act / Williamson Act
Land Conservation Act / Williamson Act
The California Land Conservation Act (LCA) Program, also known as the “Williamson Act,” is a voluntary land conservation program adopted by the California Legislature in 1965 and administered by the County of Ventura since 1969 to:
- Help preserve the limited and diminishing supply of agricultural land in the county through agricultural LCA Contracts
- Encourage production of food, fiber, and ornamental crops and commodities for local, regional, state, national, and international markets
- Discourage premature conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural land uses
- Help sustain and promote the county’s commercial agricultural industry and the direct, indirect, and imputed effect on the countywide and state economy
- Allow compatible uses within agricultural Contracts that do not hinder or compromise the existing or potential agricultural productivity of agricultural land.
- Help preserve wildlife habitat areas through open space (wildlife habitat) LCA Contracts
- Allow compatible uses within open space LCA Contracts that do not adversely affect the preservation of wildlife habitat areas.
How the Program Works
At the heart of the LCA Program is a contract between the County and qualifying landowners that restricts contracted land to agricultural or open space uses for either 10 years (LCA Contract) or 20 years (Farmland Security Zone Act, “FSZA”). In exchange for the land use restriction, the contracting landowner receives a reduced property tax rate.
The contract renews automatically annually unless the nonrenewal process is initiated by either party to the contract. Under nonrenewal, the contract term is not renewed annually but “winds down” over the remaining 9 or 19 years of the contract term with taxes incrementally rising to the full, unrestricted rate. Once the contract expires, the land is no longer restricted to agricultural or open space uses. Cancellation of the contract is also available to the landowner in extremely limited circumstances.
How to Apply
Review the LCA Guidelines and the Eligibility Check Map below to determine if your property or contract are eligible for the project you wish to apply for.
Once you have ensured your eligibility, complete the appropriate application form. As applications require the submission of original, notarized signatures, applications must either be mailed to VCAWM: LCA Program PO Box 889 Santa Paula, CA 93061 or delivered in person to 815 E Santa Barbara St, Santa Paula, CA 93060. New LCA or FSZA contracts or Nonrenewal of a Portion of the Contract must be submitted no later than the first Friday in June to be effective the following calendar year. Nonrenewal of an Entire Contract must be submitted no later than October 1 (if Saturday or Sunday, then the following Monday) to be effective the following calendar year.
If, after you have reviewed the information available online as indicated below, you have questions regarding your particular property, wish to request a contract application, or need information regarding other LCA Program specifics, please contact Alec Thille or Melonie Morgan, at erm@ventura.org or at (805) 933-2926.
Application Forms