A conservation easement is a voluntary agreement between a landowner and a public agency or private land trust that permanently limits future development of the land to protect its conservation values. When landowners elect to donate or sell an easement on their property, the terms are negotiated between the landowner and the organization that will hold the easement.
Under a conservation easement, landowners continue to own, use and control their land, and can sell it or pass it on to heirs. Easements allow for and encourage rural land uses, such as forest management, agriculture, hunting and fishing. An easement does not require landowners to provide public access to their land.
A conservation easement protects land primarily by limiting the number of times the property can be subdivided. However, depending on the size and nature of the property, and the conservation values being protected, landowners often can retain the right to exercise one or more subdivisions. Conservation easements also include provisions for building homes, farm buildings and other structures typically found on rural land.
Easements are perpetual in nature – they protect the land forever. The terms of the easement apply to all future landowners, and the organization holding the easement is responsible for ensuring the easement’s terms are followed.
For more information about the our process for selecting working lands easements, including application deadlines, learn more about applying for an easement.
The primary reason landowners grant a conservation easement is to preserve their land in its natural state, while still allowing their family to live and work on the land. Many want to see their legacy of farm or forest management continued for their children and subsequent generations. Most value the peace of mind knowing that their land will always be protected from development.
In addition, there are significant income tax and estate planning benefits. A gift of a qualified conservation easement in perpetuity may qualify as a non-cash charitable gift, which may yield a deduction for federal income tax purposes, a credit for state income tax purposes, local property tax reductions and federal estate tax exemptions.
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation maintains statewide data of conserved land, including lands under easement and lands in public ownership. Click the map below to view the conserved lands in your county.
For more information about our process for selecting easements, including application deadlines, click here:
If you are an existing easement holder and need more information about managing your easement property, click here:
Get started planning for your forestland.
Additional Resources
| Image | Title | ID | Description | Content Type | View | hf:tax:document-category | hf:tax:Media |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Conservation Easements | P00203 | Brochure defines conservation easements and provides information about DOF conservation easements, such as easement requirements, property criteria, benefits of an easement and donating an easement. Printed copies available. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
 | Forest Legacy Program Application – Conservation Easement | 10.04 | Application to apply to be considered for the Forest Legacy Program via conservation easement. | Form | View | forest | form |
| Forest Legacy Program Application – Fee Simple Purchase | 10.05 | Application to apply to be considered for the Forest Legacy Program via fee simple purchase. | Form | View | forest | form |
| Forest Legacy Program Application – Property Proposal | 10.06 | Application Property Proposal is to be submitted as a part of the submission package when applying to be considered for the Forest Legacy Program. | Form | View | forest | form |
| Forest Legacy Program Application – Property Proposal – Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Funding Supplement | 10.07 | Application Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Funding Supplement is to be submitted as a part of the submission package when applying to be considered for the Forest Legacy Program during IRA funding application cycles. | Form | View | forest | form |
 | Forestland Conservation Review 2013-04 | P00210 | Report provides an update on current forest conservation topics in the Commonwealth, such as Forest Legacy Program, DOF conservation easements, Virginia Grown program and more. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
 | Forestland Conservation Review 2013-12 | P00210 | Report provides an update on current forest conservation topics in the Commonwealth, such as Forest Legacy Program, DOF conservation easements, Virginia Grown program and more. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
 | Forestland Conservation Review 2014-10 | P00210 | Report provides an update on current forest conservation topics in the Commonwealth, such as Forest Legacy Program, DOF conservation easements, Virginia Grown program and more. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
 | Forestland Conservation Review 2021-11 | P00210 | Report provides an update on current forest conservation topics in the Commonwealth, DOF conservation easements, Generation Next planning, and more. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
 | Landowner Options for Forestland Conservation | P00146 | Brochure provides information regarding options available to landowners for conserving their forestland, including use-value taxation, ag and forestal districts, riparian Buffer tax credit, cost-share assistance, conservation easements, purchase of development rights, grants for fee-simple acquisition and easements, and donations of property. Printed copies available. | Publication | View | forest | publication |
| Local Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) Program Matching Funds Claim for Reimbursement | 10.08 | Used to request reimbursement for local PDR programs upon the recordation of a deed evidencing the purchase of an agricultural conservation easement. | Form | View | forest | form |
| Open-Space Easement Application | 10.01 | Form | View | forest | form | |
| Open-Space Easement Landowner Checklist | 10.02 | Form | View | forest | form | |
| Virginia Natural Heritage Data Explorer (DCR) | Interactive maps for conserved lands and forest conservation values. | Resource | View | forest | resource | ||
| Virginia Forest Stewardship Management Plan for DOF Easement Property Template | Standard template to be used as a base document with individual information modified as needed and general format and structure to remain consistent. (Microsoft Word Template .dotx file format). | Template | View | forest-management forest | template |
Contact Us
If you’re unsure where to start, contact your local DOF forester for guidance.
For more information or questions, e-mail us or use our contact form.