Williamson Act Program

Updated: May 1, 2025

This permit allows property owners to create an agricultural preserve area under the Williamson Act (California Land Conservation Act of 1965) with the intent of entering into a Williamson Act contract with the City to restrict allowable uses and development on the parcel in exchange for a reduction in property tax assessments (Williamson Act Contract). The Willimson Act Program may only be exercised on properties zoned Agriculture District or Flood Plain District.

Submitting an Application:

  1. Contact a City of Hayward Planner: Contact a planner by emailing planning.division@hayward-ca.gov or calling (510) 583-4216 to discuss your proposed project. Please include the project address or Assessor Parcel Number and a description of the project.  
  2. Register for an e-Permit Portal account: You must be a registered user of the Hayward e-Permit Portal before you can submit your application. Learn more about how to register on our e-Permit Portal help page.
  3. Apply for your Plan Type: Using the e-Permit Portal, apply for your Plan by completing the online application and attaching the required submittal materials. Learn more about how to apply for a Plan on our e-Permit Portal help page.

Required Submittal Materials:

The submittal items below are required for this project type. The Owner Authorization Form and Plan Sharing Agreement can be found under Handouts to the right of the screen.

  • Dimensioned Plans Showing the Boundaries of the Agricultural Preserve: Plan should include all parcel(s) and Assessor Plan Numbers that will be included within the boundaries of the preserve, total acreage of the preserve and acreage of each of the parcels.
  • Project description. Provide a letter detailing the existing use of the parcel(s) within the proposed agricultural preserve and the planned use for the property.
  • Owner Authorization Form. If there are multiple owners of properties within the proposed agricultural preserve, provide signed Owner Authorization Forms for each property owner and upload as “Other Items.”
  • Plan Sharing Agreement.

Project Review:

Applicants will be notified by email or can login to the e-Permit Portal for updates on their application. Williamson Act applications require a public hearings with the Planning Commission and City Council and may take up to six months to process depending on the complexity of the application. Estimated processing time does not include the time needed by the applicant to revise and resubmit the application.

Paying Fees:

After submitting your application through the e-Permits Portal, staff will reach out to coordinate payment. The initial application deposit for a Williamson Act Program application to establish an agricultural preserve is $2,000. If the cost to process the application exceeds this deposit, the applicant or owner must cover the cost. If the cost ends up being less than the deposit, the difference is refunded.

Plan - Requires Planning Director Approval: Submit online via e-Permits Portal

E-Permits Portal

Is this available in the e-Permit Portal: