Landowner Resources

Land is a living legacy.

If you want to shelter your land from development, now and forever, there are several pathways. The most common approach for working landscapes is to place a conservation easement on the land, generating capital during your lifetime and ensuring appropriate stewardship in perpetuity. However, we also encourage you to explore other options. Talk to your legal and financial advisors about whether a bargain sale or land gift could benefit your portfolio.

For detailed guidance on land legacy planning, please refer to Conservation Options: A Landowner’s Guide to Conserving Your Land for Future Generations, published by the Land Trust Alliance.

Conservation Easement

Conservation easements shelter farms, ranches, and wild lands from current and future development threats, preserving scenic vistas and rich agricultural resources across our region. Through this legal process, a land trust purchases most of the development rights, allowing landowners to generate capital on their investment while leaving a unique legacy of open space for their families and the North State. This process may take 2-5 years from initiation to the close of escrow, depending on the property and the availability of funding, and the landowner usually faces some up-front costs, as with any other real estate transaction. Refer to our Landowner Information Package for more details on what to expect. Complete a Prospective Project Application to initiate NCRLT’s review of your project specifics.

Preservation Sale

Some landowners are not in a position to continue working, managing, or residing on their land and have no plans to leave it to their heirs, but want to ensure its protection. In this case, it is sometimes possible for the landowner to make a fee title sale to a land trust, who will hold the land as a Preserve or sell it to another entity better positioned to manage it as a Preserve. This is a complex process, and raising funds for outright acquisition can take many years. In some cases, a landowner can assist a land trust to protect the property by offering the land at below market value, known as a “bargain sale.” This option may offer significant tax benefits to the landowner.

Living Gifts + Estate Bequests

There are many ways to approach donating land, depending on the benefactor’s objectives, timeline, and the needs of their estate. Some options offer greater tax benefits than others. Any landowner considering a gift of land during their life or out of their estate should consult with trusted legal and financial experts. Also note that it is not cost-free for a land trust to accept a gift of real estate. If you’re considering making a gift to the Northern California Regional Land Trust, please reach out to discuss this with our team.