Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1156 on Sept. 30 as Chapter 875, Statutes of 2026. The law lets the state waive the Williamson Act cancellation fee when farmland is converted to a photovoltaic solar facility. It amends two sections of the Government Code — 51283, which sets the fee for cancelling a Williamson Act agricultural preserve contract, and 51295, which governs solar-use easements. This post previously reported the bill as passed by the Legislature and awaiting the governor; it has been updated with the outcome.
The Williamson Act lets a landowner accept a restricted assessed value in exchange for keeping land in agriculture; leaving early normally means paying a cancellation fee. Under AB 1156, the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency may waive that fee if the landowner shows a photovoltaic solar project has been constructed, and may extend the time to pay for applications meeting specified criteria. The law also deems a Williamson Act contract null and void where land is approved for a photovoltaic facility certified under the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2021. The relief provisions sunset Jan. 1, 2037.
Eligibility turns on water rather than geography: land qualifies where there is insufficient surface water or groundwater to support commercially viable irrigated agricultural use, with criteria including an average grade under 10% and historical use primarily as irrigated cropland. A city or county may — but need not — require a solar developer to enter a community benefits agreement as a condition of the easement.
The farmland effect is contested. The California Farm Bureau and American Farmland Trust opposed the bill, arguing vague definitions could allow widespread cancellations without payment, expose prime farmland to solar development, and that it lacked a structured community benefit requirement. The Rural County Representatives of California moved from opposition to support after amendments preserved local authority. Supporters frame it as a route for land already going fallow under groundwater limits. The votes were close for a signed bill: 21–14 in the Senate with five not voting, 56–6 in the Assembly on concurrence with 17 not voting.
The pressure the bill responds to is visible in the numbers: Kern County’s 2025 crop report records about 4% fewer harvested acres, which a local appraiser attributed flatly to groundwater rules. It was signed the same day as the $19.75 farmworker wage floor. Farms still working that ground are listed on the Kern County page and across our Producers directory.
Why this matters for SoCal: Kern County is one of the ten and just lost about 4% of its harvested acreage under groundwater limits, and San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara growers face the same pressure — the fee that used to sit between fallowed ground and a solar lease can now be waived.
Sources: AB 1156 bill record, CalMatters Digital Democracy · AB 1156 history and votes, LegiScan · Assembly Agriculture Committee Advances AB 1156, California Farm Bureau, May 5, 2025 · Governor Newsom issues legislative update 9.30.2026