Section 22.08.020 talks about the creation of preserves and how “Property within the County…may be incorporated into agricultural preserves, and property within any agricultural preserve may be further restricted by contracts between the County…and the owners of said property…”  The section goes on to discuss minimum acreages and such, but the bottom line is that an “Ag Preserve” in and of itself is basically a qualifying region within which property may be placed under a Williamson Act contract.  The language appears to have been lifted from the California Government Code Section 51230, although the state law has probably been revised over time, and the County Code probably hasn’t kept up for the most part.  It seems that in our County the terms Ag Preserve and Williamson Act contract have been used interchangeably through the years which, according to the State Department of Conservation, happens in other counties as well.  It can and does add to some confusion though, especially where multiple property owners combine under one contract which has occurred traditionally so that the 100 acre minimum “Ag Preserve” threshold could be met.  In any case, the minimum sizes the state will recognize are 40 acres for a Type II (grazing) contract and 10 acres for a Type I (row crop) preserve.

Cindy Lindgren, The Mendocino County Landlady

As a Ukiah real estate professional, I have had the joy of helping individuals, couples, and families buy and sell Mendocino County real estate and Ukiah homes for over 30 years.

Contact me anytime if you want to sell your home or land or receive a free custom listing of properties.

cindy@the-landlady.com

707-972-2094