What is a Conservation Easement?
A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a charitable organization or government entity that permanently preserves scenic or agricultural open space, natural habitat, or recreational areas (conservation values) for the benefit of the public. The owner places permanent restrictions on the future uses of some or all of his or her property to protect the conservation values. These agreements are individually tailored to protect the conservation values of the property while allowing the property to stay under private ownership and control. Conservation easements may preserve traditional land uses such as family farming and ranching. The restrictions usually limit the number of future homesites but can, and often do, limit other uses as well. Conservation easements are specifically tailored to meet the conservation and financial/tax planning interests of each landowner. The final conservation easement for a specific property is the result of drafting an
A conservation easement is a legal document that defines how a piece of property can be used. Conservation easements typically limit development of property and are often used to help preserve land in its natural state in perpetuity. A conservation easement can also be used to define allowable uses of a property. It becomes part of the land records, associated with the deed, not with a specific property owner.
A conservation easement is a restriction placed on a piece of property to protect the resources (natural or man-made) associated with the parcel. The easement is either voluntarily sold or donated by the landowner, and constitutes a legally binding agreement that prohibits certain types of development (residential or commercial) from taking place on the land. See Landowner info for more details.
A conservation easement is a voluntary and perpetual legal agreement between a private property owner and a land trust that permanently restricts harmful uses and development of the property. The land stays in private ownership and use and is not open to public access. The land trust is responsible for seeing that the restrictions are maintained over time and through all subsequent changes in ownership. Through a conservation easement, you may be able to protect your own land.
A. A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a property owner, the donor and a qualified conservation organization or agency, or the holder, in which the owner voluntarily agrees to restrict the type and amount of development that may take place on his or her property. A conservation easement is a way to preserve property that has a conservation or historic value while keeping the property in its natural and undeveloped state and still maintaining ownership of the property. The owner also keeps the right to use property for economic gain or recreation and the right to sell or deed the property to another. A donation of a conservation easement also may reduce estate, income and property taxes.
