Keep in mind I work in California which has Proposition 13. The property tax is based on the amount of a market sale. Some of these large tracts (you need a minimum of 100 acres to enroll in the California Conservation Act aka Williamson Act or enroll with contiguous properties which combine to more than 100 acres) will sell for a million dollars or if they have a decent house and some accessory building up to two million dollors. The assessor will consider the sales price to be the market value. That means the property taxes should be anywhere from $11,000 to more than $20,000 per year. But if they're enrolled in the Williamson Act or perhaps have Timber Preserve status the taxes will only be a few hundred dollars per year.
The terms of each contract vary but are almost always a 10 year rolling contract which automatically renews each year unless you apply to cancel it... but you have to wait out the rest of the time unless you want to pay a huge amount of taxes at the regular rate.
Almost all of these properties lie in zoning districts which have minimum lot size of 40 to 160 acres and will not allow subdivision or intensive development. One dwelling unit and one accessory dwelling unit, barns, outbuildings, etc. The terms of the Williamson Act have similar restrictions.
Sooooo... By enrolling in these conservation contracts you agree not to develop the property beyond the limitations imposed but you couldn't develop it any more than that anyway because the base zoning prohibits intensive development or lot splitting.
It's free money.
