Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement (PACE) Program

The County of San Diego has an agricultural conservation program known as the Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easement (PACE) Program. The PACE Program promotes the long term preservation of agriculture in the County of San Diego.

Under the PACE Program, willing agricultural property owners are compensated for placing a perpetual easement on their property that limits future uses to agriculture. As a result, the agricultural land is preserved and the property owner receives compensation making the land’s continued use for agriculture more viable.

 

Program Contact:  Michael Blackmun | AgConservation@sdcounty.ca.gov

Program Guidelines

Eligibility Requirements

Properties must meet the following eligibility criteria to apply for the program:

  1. Must be located in the unincorporated area of San Diego County
  2. Active agriculture for at least two years immediately prior to application
  3. Property must be zoned A70 – Limited Agriculture, A72 – General Agriculture, RR – Rural Residential, S90 – Holding Area, or S92 – General Rural

To determine Zoning and program eligibility, please generate a Property Summary Report for the property using the Self-Service portal.

View PACE Guidelines

PACE Guidelines

Application

The PACE Program is now accepting applications! Applications will be ranked and selected for participation annually, the next application review cycle will occur in Spring 2027. 

Board Documents

The County’s Board of Supervisors adopted an expansion to the properties eligible to participate in the PACE Program on March 3, 2021 (10).

March 3, 2021 Board of Supervisors Hearing Report Documents

This expansion no longer requires that applicants must have experienced a density reduction under the 2011 General Plan Update. Properties must meet the following eligibility criteria to apply for the expanded program:

  1. Active agriculture for at least two years immediately prior to application
  2. Property must be zoned A70 – Limited Agriculture, A72 – General Agriculture, RR – Rural Residential, S90 – Holding Area, or S92 – General Rural

The following links document guidance received from the County of San Diego Board of Supervisors on elements of the PACE Program including program implementation, funding, mitigation bank, and easement acquisitions.

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Mitigation Bank

The PACE Program Mitigation Bank and Credits are an expanded component of the PACE Program, approved by the Board of Supervisors on September 17, 2014. With this expanded component, easement lands acquired by the County under the PACE Program can be utilized as off-site mitigation for agricultural impacts resulting from private development projects.

For additional information regarding PACE Mitigation Credits please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions.

Resources

PACE FACT SHEET

MAP OF PACE PROPERTIES

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