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House Engrossed
conservation easements; maintenance; weeds |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-sixth Legislature Second Regular Session 2024
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HOUSE BILL 2022 |
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An Act
amending section 33-272, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to conservation easements.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 33-272, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
33-272. Creation, conveyance, acceptance and duration; impairment; recording; county assessor; maintenance
A. Except as otherwise provided in this article, a conservation easement may be created, conveyed, recorded, assigned, released, modified, terminated or otherwise altered or affected in the same manner as other easements. For the purposes of this article, conservation easements shall be voluntarily created and shall not be required by a political subdivision or governmental entity. This article neither limits nor enlarges the power or purposes of eminent domain, zoning, subdivision regulations or any right of condemnation under the laws of this state. Any assignment, release, modification, termination or other document altering or affecting a conservation easement need only be executed or approved in writing by the current owner of the real property that is burdened by the conservation easement, the holder of the conservation easement and any governmental body, charitable corporation or trustee of a charitable trust having a third-party right of enforcement.
B. No right or duty in favor of or against a holder and no right in favor of a governmental body, charitable corporation or trustee of a charitable trust having a third-party right of enforcement arises under a conservation easement before its acceptance by the holder and a recordation of the acceptance.
C. Except as provided in section 33-273, subsection B, a conservation easement is unlimited in duration unless the instrument creating it otherwise provides.
D. An interest in real property in existence at the time the conservation easement is created is not impaired by a conservation easement unless the owner of the interest is a party to the conservation easement or consents in writing to the conservation easement by an instrument acknowledged and recorded in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the affected real property is located.
E. The holder of the conservation easement shall provide for the recording of the conservation easement and the recording of its acceptance. The holder of the conservation easement also shall prepare and provide the information prescribed by section 42-12058 to the county assessor for each county in which any portion of the real property that is burdened by the conservation easement is located.
F. The holder of the conservation easement shall maintain the conservation easement property free of noxious weeds as defined in section 3-201, Russian thistles (salsola kali) and blowing dust that creates a threat to health or safety.