Saving Your Land

If you are considering protecting your land then you have made a huge first step. This is not for everyone but there are thousands of people who have been through the process and are happy with the results. You should give yourself and your family time to think through the ramifications of legally limiting the development potential of your land. Even if you have doubts, it often pays to run the numbers and consider all your options.

This section of our website gives a very simple overview of some of the tools available for landowners interested in limiting development on their property. There are many variations on these tools, but in general there are two types used in most of Virginia:

• Agricultural/Forestal Districts provide temporary but renewable protection in the form of an agreement for 4 to 10 years between landowners and the county. This tool is widely used in 8 of the 11 counties VCC serves and many others around Virginia. Districts may contain properties that are also protected by conservation easements.
• Conservation easements are a form of permanent protection for your land, that allow you to still own, farm, hunt, cut timber, and pass your land on to your heirs or sell it to new owners; however, you and all future owners give up some of your rights to develop the land in order to protect significant conservation values.

We highly recommend that you contact us directly with questions about your land. We are glad to visit with you and discuss these matters at your convenience, free of charge. We cannot and do not offer financial or legal advice; however, we will explain the programs that are available to you and are happy to assist in any ways we can. Please discuss any land protection options with with your legal and financial advisors.

We offer a useful Landowners Guide with case studies to help you see how others have benefitted from protecting their land.