San Mateo County’s Williamson Act Program
Updated: March 20, 2008
PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES - SEE IMPORTANT LINKS BELOW
Introduction and Overview
The California Land Conservation Act, better known as the Williamson Act, was enacted in 1965 in order to preserve agricultural lands by discouraging premature and unnecessary conversion to urban uses. Counties and cities that choose to participate in the Williamson Act program implement the program through contracts with landowners that restrict use of the land in return for reduced property taxes, in accordance with local regulations and state law. Land under contract must be devoted to agricultural uses; open space and recreation uses as narrowly defined in the act; and incidental and compatible uses also defined in the Act and by local regulation. Williamson Act contracts have a minimum duration of ten years, and are automatically renewed unless the landowner or local government decides to “non-renew” a contract. Non-renewal of a contract involves a nine-year termination period, during which the provisions of the contract remain in place and property taxes return to the standard rate. Only under extremely limited circumstances can a contract be cancelled.
Over the last decade alone, the Williamson Act has been amended numerous times. In addition, the California Department of Conservation, responsible for administering the Williamson Act program at the state level, audited the County’s Williamson Act program in 2007. As a result, the County is evaluating its existing contracts and program for compliance with contract provisions and current state law.
An important step in this process will be for the County to develop information regarding the type and extent of agricultural activities being undertaken on contracted land, along with other relevant information. To this end, the San Mateo County Planning and Building Department mailed a survey to all existing contract holders on February 19, 2008. Property owners of contracted land were initially requested to complete and return the survey by late February. This deadline was extended to March 19, 2008.
As the County proceeds to review and potentially revise its current program, it will keep property owners and interested parties informed about the status of this effort. Contract holders and other interested parties will be invited to public information meetings tentatively scheduled for early to mid summer, and County staff is available to answer questions and provide assistance where possible. Please review the information provided by the links below, and check back regularly for updates. If the information you are looking for is not available through the links below, you can contact the following staff members based on the particular issue of concern:
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Issue
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Staff Member
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Email Address
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Telephone Number
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Contracts, Permits, Procedures, and Survey
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Dave Holbrook, Senior Planner
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dholbrook@co.sanmateo.ca.us
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(650) 363-1837
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Tax Assessments
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Terry Flinn, Deputy Assessor
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tflinn@smcare.org
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(650) 599-1271
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Agriculture
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Ronald Pummer, Deputy Agricultural Commissioner
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smateoag@co.sanmateo.ca.us
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(650) 363-4700
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Program Update
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Steve Monowitz, Long Range Planning Manager
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smonowitz@co.sanmateo.ca.us
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(650) 363-1855
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Relevant Documents and Links
California Department of Conservation’s Williamson Act Program Website
(Williamson Act and related information)
Department of Conservation’s Audit of San Mateo County Program
and the Counties Response to Date
Planning and Building Survey of All Williamson Act Contract Holders
Existing County Regulations for Implementing the Williamson Act
(Board of Supervisor’s Resolutions 65067, 44396, 28375)
San Mateo County Agricultural Commissioner’s Website
San Mateo County Assessor’s Website
San Mateo County Planning & Building Department
County Office Building
455 County Center
Redwood City, CA 94063
Phone: (650) 363-4161
Fax: (650) 363-4849
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CONTACT US
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