Public Lands Protection Act.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific details on exemptions or how existing private lands will be affected.

Public Lands Protection Act

The Public Lands Protection Act ensures land owned by the U.S. government and designated for conservation purposes in California is subject to similar designations upon transfer to private or non-federal entities after January 1, 2025.

What This Bill Does

• Requires land owned by the U.S. government and designated as open space, public land, resource conservation, or an equivalent designation in a general plan or zoning ordinance to be subject to these designations upon transfer to private or non-federal entities after January 1, 2025.
• Automatically applies the most restrictive conservation-oriented zoning designation if the land has not been designated at the time of transfer.
• Prohibits rezoning, subdividing, or granting development entitlements inconsistent with a conservation-oriented designation unless certain conditions are met, including completing an environmental impact report.
• Allows electric infrastructure and clean energy facilities necessary for climate goals to be permitted in conservation zones under specific conditions.

Who It Names or Affects

• Land owned by the U.S. government within California that is transferred to private or non-federal entities after January 1, 2025.
• Local governments and agencies responsible for zoning and land use planning.

Terms To Know

Conservation-oriented designation

A type of zoning that restricts how land can be used to protect natural resources or open space.

Environmental impact report (EIR)

A document required by law that assesses the environmental effects of a project and suggests ways to reduce negative impacts.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if the land is transferred before January 1, 2025.
• It's unclear how existing private or non-federal lands will be affected by this act.
• The exact conditions for exempting certain parcels are not detailed in the summary.

Official Summary Text

AB 1624, as introduced, Zbur.
Public Lands Protection Act.
The Planning and Zoning Law requires each county and city to adopt a comprehensive, long-term general plan for the physical development of the county or city, and of any land outside its boundaries that bears relation to its planning. Existing law authorizes the legislative body of a county or city to adopt ordinances that, among other things, regulate the use of buildings, structures, and land as between industry, business, residences, open space, and other purposes, as provided. For these purposes, existing law authorizes the legislative body to divide a county or city into zones, but requires that regulations adopted be uniform for each class or kind of building or use of land throughout each zone. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may
have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect.
This bill, the Public Lands Protection Act, would, upon transfer to any private or nonfederal entity of a parcel of land located within the state that is owned by the United States government on or after January 1, 2025, and that has been designated in an adopted general plan or zoning ordinance as open space, public land, resource conservation, or an equivalent conservation-oriented designation, immediately subject that parcel to the zoning designation and associated state and local restrictions. The bill would also, upon transfer of a parcel of land located within the state that is owned by the United States government on or after January 1, 2025, and that has not been designated in an adopted general plan or zoning ordinance at the time of transfer to any private or nonfederal entity, automatically subject that parcel to the most
restrictive conservation-oriented zoning designation currently applied in the jurisdiction, by operation of law. The bill would prohibit a parcel of land governed by these provisions from being rezoned, subdivided, or granted any development entitlement that is inconsistent with a conservation-oriented zoning designation, unless certain requirements are satisfied, including that a full environmental impact report is completed in accordance with CEQA. Notwithstanding these provisions, the bill would require electric infrastructure and clean energy facilities necessary to achieve California’s climate and decarbonization goals to be deemed permitted uses in a conservation-oriented zoning designation if certain conditions are met. The bill would also exempt certain other parcels from these provisions.
This bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore,
apply to all cities, including charter cities.
This bill would make these provisions severable.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF