On November 25, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updated its Conservation Easement Audit Technique Guide with a revision date of November 9, 2020. The Guide is a reference document for IRS staff for the examination of charitable contributions of conservation easements.  Although the IRS is quick to point out that the Guide is not a comprehensive training manual, the Guide does provide information about conservation easements generally and more specific information regarding the requirements for a valid charitable contribution, including citations to recent cases on relevant topics.  Land trusts, landowners, and their attorneys can all benefit from reviewing the Guide as a checklist of the issues IRS auditors will be looking for when reviewing a conservation easement charitable contribution.

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Photo of Melinda Beck Melinda Beck

Melinda Beck is a real estate and land use attorney who has more than two decades of experience.  Melinda’s conservation law expertise includes the donation and purchase and sale of conservation easements to land trusts and local governments by private landowners throughout Colorado …

Melinda Beck is a real estate and land use attorney who has more than two decades of experience.  Melinda’s conservation law expertise includes the donation and purchase and sale of conservation easements to land trusts and local governments by private landowners throughout Colorado and nationally. She represents land trusts and private landowners regarding all issues related to conservation easement transactions and stewardship, including obtaining discretionary approvals and amendments to conservation easements. She is an emeritus member of the Land Trust Alliance Conservation Defense Advisory Council. Melinda has a degree in Economics from Pomona College and a law degree from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law.

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