Services: Land Conservation Planning / Conservation Easements with Potential Tax Benefits
Many land owners are choosing to protect their legacy by preserving or conserving their land. When this is accomplished via a tax deductible charitable gift, the land owners can realize a significant income tax benefit.
Land conservation is often accomplished by conservation restrictions placed on a property or a portion of property in favor of a land conservation organization. A conservation restriction can be written so that it will allow you to retain ownership of your property and allow you use of your property as agreed upon by you and the land conservation organization.
As part of a tax deductible charitable donation process, our highly skilled staff of surveyors, planners, engineers, and soil scientist can review the development potential of your property by conducting a feasibility study. The feasibility study aids in assessing the development potential of a property by looking at key features of the site (i.e. terrain, resources, wetlands), as well as, restrictions placed on the property by local land use regulations and guidelines. Once the development potential of the site is determined, we then work with other land use professionals and consultants who value and prepare the property for tax deductible charitable donation.
Below please find a number of documents (which are can easily be printed) to assist you with learing about the conservation easement process. As always, please ocntact our office at (860) 354-9346 with any questions you may have regarding the process.
Why Should I Place a Conservation Easement on my Property?
This document is our summary document of the conservation easement process. It gives a summary of tax incentives available to landowners, an explanation of what a conservation easement is as well as the service that our firm provides.
Step-by-Step Conservation Easement Process
One of the most important documents relative to the easement process. This guide gives the donor a detailed step-by-step breakdown of the conservation easement process from beginning to end.
Typical Requirements for Conservation Easements
This document provides guidance as to the typical requirements of a land trust, so a potential donor can gain a better understanding of what a land trust will require of the donor prior to accepting the conservation easement.
Internal Revenue Service Fact Sheets & Guidance
This page contains “Fact Sheets” on Internal Revenue Service definitions and guidance related to the conservation easement process.
Examples of “Highest and Best Use Analysis”
This page contains actual examples of “highest and best use” analysis performed by our firm. These examples are provided in order to give you a better understanding of the amount of effort that is involved to determine the maximum development potential of the donor’s property.
Example Appraisal
This document is an example of the type of detail required on a “qualified appraisal” required per Internal Revenue Service guidelines. This example was prepared by Mr. George DeVoe of Devoe Appraisals and I encourage you to contact him for more information at (860) 927-4212.
Example Conservation Easements
This page contains actual conservation easements so you can gain an understanding of what is in a typical conservation easement.
To learn more about the conservation easement process, contact Arthur H. Howland & Associates, P.C. at (860) 354-9346 and ask for Paul Szymanski. We specialize in assisting donors step-by-step with the conservation easement process offering a full array of civil engineering, land surveying, land planning, soil science and consulting services. You can also visit us on the web at https://ahhowland.wpsc.