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The Times of India
The Times of India
World
TOI World Desk

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

California US Supreme Court Marin County Dolan

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.

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