Williamson Act contracts: cancellation fees: photovoltaic solar facilities

The law creates a state-administered path to defer and ultimately waive cancellation fees for certain photovoltaic projects, while requiring local community benefits and public outreach.

What the law does ​

• Transfers authority to waive or defer Williamson Act cancellation fees from cities and counties to the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency.
• Requires the secretary, through January 1, 2037, to grant a 10-year payment extension for qualifying solar-project applications with specified local approval and critically overdrafted-basin documentation.
• Requires the secretary to waive the deferred fee when the landowner proves that the solar project was built.
• Allows qualifying solar projects certified under the state's environmental leadership law to void Williamson Act contracts for the land approved for the project.
• Requires qualifying projects to be in critically overdrafted groundwater basins, provide a community benefit agreement, notify adjacent landowners and the public, and hold a local public meeting.
• Requires land no longer used for an approved solar project to be reenrolled in a Williamson Act contract or placed under an equally restrictive deed restriction.

Who it affects ​

• Landowners seeking to develop qualifying photovoltaic solar facilities on Williamson Act land.
• Solar developers, which must provide community benefits and conduct local outreach to qualify.
• Cities and counties administering agricultural preserves and approving contract cancellations.
• Nearby residents and local communities receiving notice, a public meeting, and community benefits for qualifying projects.