California farming family challenged a second-home rule in 2017; 9 years later, Supreme Court declines

Representative Image (AI-generated) A California family's attempt to build a second home on its 267-acre coastal property has ended at the nation's highest court, after the US Supreme Court declined to hear the family's appeal in June 2026. The dispute began in 2017, when Willie Benedetti filed a lawsuit challenging Marin County's land-use restrictions; the county later adopted amended rules requiring owners seeking certain additional homes on agricultural coastal land to record a covenant tied to agricultural use. According to the Pacific Legal Foundation, which represents the Benedetti family, the rule improperly conditions residential development on a landowner's continued involvement in farming. The Supreme Court denied the family's petition on June 29, 2026.A 267-acre family propertyThe property at the centre of the dispute is in Valley Ford, in Marin County, California. Willie Benedetti spent decades farming the 267 acres and operated agricultural businesses connected to the property. According to the court record, the land consists of two contiguous parcels within the county's coastal agricultural production zoning area. One of the parcels already had a residence where Willi...