Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act Relief Bills Move to Governor's Desk
Published Friday, September 4, 2026
Several bills providing important relief from the permitting and financial burdens of the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act, or WJTCA, have passed the Legislature and now await the governor’s signature.
The WJTCA was enacted in 2023 to conserve the Western Joshua tree and its habitat while establishing a predictable permitting process for activities that may affect the species. In practice, however, the law has created significant costs and regulatory challenges for property owners, farmers and ranchers, public water agencies and other essential public projects.
For rural landowners, routine activities such as vegetation management, installing septic systems, maintaining infrastructure or making necessary improvements can trigger permitting requirements and substantial mitigation fees simply because Western Joshua trees are present on their property. Public water agencies have also reported millions of dollars in additional costs for essential infrastructure—costs that can ultimately be passed on to ratepayers.
Three bills would provide meaningful, targeted relief:
• Assembly Bill 1663 (Greg Wallis, R-San Bernardino): Simplifies the permitting process by allowing property owners’ agents to apply for permits and removes certain certification requirements concerning dead Western Joshua trees.
• Assembly Bill 1808 (Juan Carrillo, D-Palmdale): Allows the removal or trimming of up to 10 Western Joshua trees for an existing single-family residence and up to 40 trees for certain public works projects without mitigation. It also provides a temporary California Environmental Quality Act exemption for qualifying single-family home projects.
• Senate Bill 1062 (Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, R-Yucaipa): Encourages the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to consider making fees proportional to project impacts and allows consideration of tiered fees based on project type, size or other criteria.
These measures recognize that conservation requirements should be proportional to actual impacts and sensitive to the needs of homeowners, farmers, ranchers and public agencies. California Farm Bureau has supported AB 1663, AB 1808 and SB 1062 and will urge the governor to sign the bills into law.
Staff contact: Richard Filgas, rfilgas@cfbf.com.
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