What is a Conservation Restriction?

A conservation restriction (CR) is a voluntary legal agreement that permanently limits development—and sometimes other uses—of a property that the landowner continues to own. The limitations are designed to protect the particular features or natural resource values on the land. The CR is granted to a qualified nonprofit entity like a land trust or a town conservation commission, which has the legal responsibility to enforce the terms of the restriction in perpetuity. All future owners are bound by the terms of the CR.