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Read. Follow. Verify.California AB 1156 shifts Williamson Act cancellation fee waivers to the Natural Resources Agency for solar projects
Record date · September 14, 2026
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What This Bill Would Do
Assembly Bill 1156 removes the authority of cities and counties to waive or extend cancellation fees for contracts, shifting that power exclusively to the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency for specific involuntary transfers or solar facility developments. The bill voids contracts for lands approved for photovoltaic solar facilities certified under the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2021 and mandates fee waivers or payment extensions upon proof of solar project construction until January 1, 2037.
Landowners seeking to cancel agricultural contracts for photovoltaic solar facilities must apply directly to the state Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency rather than local jurisdictions to secure fee waivers or payment extensions.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Landowners with Williamson Act contracts
Landowners must apply to the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency rather than local jurisdictions for cancellation fee waivers or payment extensions related to solar facilities.
Cities and counties
Local governments lose their authority to waive payments or extend payment timelines for Williamson Act contract cancellations.
Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency
The Secretary assumes the responsibility of approving applications for payment extensions and granting fee waivers for eligible solar projects and involuntary transfers.
Key Facts
- AB 1156 removes the authority of cities and counties to waive or extend cancellation fee payments for Williamson Act contracts.
- The Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency is newly authorized to waive payments or extend payment timelines upon landowner application for involuntary transfers or specific photovoltaic solar facilities.
- The Secretary is required to approve completed applications for payment extensions until January 1, 2037, if specified items are included.
- The Secretary must waive the cancellation fee if the landowner attests and provides proof that a solar project has been constructed on the property.
Show all 5 facts
- Williamson Act contracts are deemed null and void when the subject land is approved for use as a photovoltaic solar facility certified under the Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2021.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who now decides whether to waive Williamson Act cancellation fees for solar projects?
What happens to a Williamson Act contract if land is approved for a certified solar facility?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
Governor Signs AB 1156, Opening New Pathways for Solar Development on Williamson Act Lands
Assemblymember Wicks Revives AB 1156, Targets Farmland for Solar Conversion
Bias ratings based on AllSides / Media Bias/Fact Check
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.
Version history & redline
8 versions on fileOfficial version history is partial: 8 linked texts are unavailable or incomplete. Source links remain available below.
The text diff for this stage has not been computed yet.
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Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Centralization of Williamson Act Fee Waivers
The bill shifts decision-making authority over Williamson Act cancellation fee waivers from local cities and counties to the state-level Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency.
Sources
leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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