CA AB1156

Allows landowners to convert Williamson Act agricultural conservation contracts into solar-use easements for photovoltaic solar facilities, energy storage, and appurtenant renewable energy facilities, with the underlying contract suspended rather than rescinded during the easement term

Requires the Department of Conservation to determine parcel eligibility within 120 days of a completed application, with automatic approval if not rejected within that timeframe; eligible land must have reduced agricultural productivity due to soil conditions, water scarcity, or other limitations

Mandates that solar facility developers enter into community benefits agreements with the city or county, which may include job training programs, contributions to agricultural programs, groundwater recharge projects, land preservation, or community improvements

Requires landowners to provide a management plan describing soil management during the easement, minimization of impacts to adjacent agricultural operations, and restoration of land to pre-project conditions upon easement termination

Exempts the entry into or recordation of solar-use easements from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), though the photovoltaic solar facilities themselves remain subject to CEQA review