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Conservation Easements

Conservation easements are voluntary and permanent legal agreements that restrict the way land can be used. They do so by separating some of the rights of landownership—the rights to develop, subdivide, or mine, for instance—from the rest of the rights of ownership. Those separated rights are effectively extinguished by being transferred to a non-profit land trust or public agency committed to conservation.

Each easement is designed to reflect landowner’s individual needs and wishes for their land. Landowners retain the right to own and sell eased property but the easement restrictions will always remain with the property and attached to the land title. Most conservation easements are donated by the landowner to a land trust, and such donations can provide significant tax advantages. In some cases, easements are sold to land trusts or agencies, sometimes as "bargain sales".

Frequently Asked Questions about easements »

Easement fact sheet for landowners

Info Packs (available as pdf)

Conservation Easement: Basic
Conservation Easement Appraisals
Conservation Easement Tax Advantages

Related links

Wisconsin Conservation Easement Act »