HB0220 • 2025

Conservation easements-amendments.

AN ACT relating to property, conveyances and security transactions; limiting the duration of conservation easements to thirty (30) years; providing definitions; making conforming amendments; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.

Land

Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor: Representative Ottman
Last action: 2025-02-03
Official status: inactive
Effective date: 3/1/2025

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and text do not provide specific details on how conservation easements can be renewed or transferred beyond the duration limit.

Limiting Conservation Easements

The bill limits the duration of new conservation easements to thirty years and sets rules for their creation and renewal.

What This Bill Does

Limits new conservation easements to a maximum of thirty years in length.
Adds rules about how conservation easements can be recorded and transferred.

Who It Names or Affects

People who create or renew conservation easements in Wyoming starting from July 1, 2025.

Terms To Know

Conservation Easement: A legal agreement where a landowner gives up some rights to use their land in order to protect natural resources or wildlife on it.
Duration: The length of time something lasts, like how long a conservation easement is valid for.

Limits and Unknowns

This bill did not pass and was never introduced in the Wyoming legislature.
It only affects new conservation easements created after July 1, 2025, and does not change existing agreements made before that date.

Bill History

2025-02-03 House
H Did not Consider for Introduction
2025-01-17 House
H Received for Introduction
2025-01-16 LSO
Bill Number Assigned

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

25LSO-0551
2025
STATE OF WYOMING
25LSO-0551
Numbered
2.0

HOUSE BILL NO. HB0220

Conservation easements-amendments.

Sponsored by: Representative(s) Ottman, Eklund, Hoeft, McCann and Winter and Senator(s) Hutchings, Laursen, D and Steinmetz

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to property, conveyances and security transactions; limiting the duration of conservation easements to thirty (30) years; providing definitions; making conforming amendments; specifying applicability; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 9
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15
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103 by creating a new subsection (s) and 34
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1
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202(c) are amended to read:

9
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15
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103.

Wyoming wildlife and natural resource trust account created; income account created; expenditures; purposes.

(s)

No funds shall be disbursed under this act for the purchase of any conservation easement that is not in compliance with the duration requirements of W.S. 34
‑
1
‑
202(c).

34
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1
‑
202.

Creation; conveyance; acceptance and duration.

(c)

Except as provided by W.S. 34
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1
‑
203(b), a conservation easement is unlimited in duration unless the instrument creating the easement provides otherwise.

Beginning July 1, 2025, no conservation easement shall be created with a duration greater than thirty (30) years but may allow an opportunity for renewal of the conservation easement upon expiration of the specified duration. No conservation easement that violates the durational requirement of this subsection shall be conveyed, recorded or assigned.

Section 2
.

(a)

This act applies to all conservation easements created on and after July 1, 2025.

(b)

Nothing in this act shall be construed to alter, amend or impair any contract or agreement entered into before July 1, 2025.

Section 3
.

This act is effective July 1, 2025.

(END)

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HB0220