TITLE 58

PUBLIC LANDS

CHAPTER 3

APPRAISEMENT, LEASE, AND SALE OF LANDS

58-307.  Term of lease — Application for renewal — Allowance for improvements. (1) No lease of state trust lands shall be for a longer term than twenty (20) years.

(2)  Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, all state lands may be leased for a period of up to twenty-five (25) years to the federal government, to federal agencies, state agencies, counties, or cities, school districts or political subdivisions when leased for public purposes. Such leases for public purposes may be entered into by negotiation and shall secure a rental amount based on the fair market value of the state land.

(3)  Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, all state endowment trust lands may be leased for a period of up to thirty-five (35) years for residential purposes as determined by the state board of land commissioners including, but not limited to, single family, recreational cottage site and homesite leases.

(4)  Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, all state lands may be leased for a period of up to forty (40) years for grazing leases.

(5)  Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, all state endowment trust lands may be leased for a period of up to forty-nine (49) years for commercial purposes under such terms and conditions as may be set by the board, provided that, for such leases in excess of twenty (20) years, the board consults with the county commissioners of the county in which the lands are located before leasing the lands, and the use for which the land is leased shall be consistent with the local planning and zoning ordinances insofar as is reasonable and practicable. For each lease in excess of twenty (20) years, the department shall hold a hearing in the county in which the parcel is located. Grazing leases shall be excluded from the hearing requirement.

(6)  The term "commercial purposes" means fuel cells, low impact hydro, wind, geothermal resources, biomass, cogeneration, sun or landfill gas as the principal source of power with a facility capable of generating not less than twenty-five (25) kilowatts of electricity, industrial enterprises, retail sales outlets, business and professional office buildings, hospitality enterprises, commercial recreational activities, multifamily residential developments and other similar businesses. For purposes of this section, farming leases, grazing leases, conservation leases including lands enrolled in federal conservation programs such as the conservation reserve enhancement program (CREP), noncommercial recreation leases, oil and gas leases, mineral leases, communication site leases, single family, recreational cottage site and homesite leases, and leases for other similar uses, are not considered leases for commercial purposes. The terms fuel cells, low impact hydro, wind, geothermal resources, biomass, cogeneration, sun or landfill gas shall have the same definitions as provided in section 63-3622QQ, Idaho Code.

(7)  The board may require that all fixed improvements constructed upon land leased for commercial purposes be removed or become the property of the state upon termination of the lease, and that any heirs, encumbrances or claims of third parties with respect to any improvements shall be expressly subordinate and subject to the rights of the state under this section.

(8)  Except for oil and gas, mineral and commercial leases, the lease year shall run from January 1 through December 31, and all leases shall expire on December 31 of the year of expiration.

(9)  All applications to lease or to renew an existing lease which expires December 31 of any year, shall be filed in the office of the director of the department of lands by the thirtieth day of April preceding the date of such expiration. Such applications will be considered by the state land board and be disposed of in the manner provided by law; except that the board may reject conflicting applications for a lease for commercial purposes if the lessee exercises the preference right to renew clause, and provided such right is specified in the lease.

(10) Where conflicts appear upon leases, except for mineral leases which, pursuant to chapter 7, title 47, Idaho Code, contain a preferential right to renew clause, such applications shall be considered as having been filed simultaneously. However, nothing herein shall be construed to prevent the state board of land commissioners from accepting and considering applications for new leases at any time.

(11) In case improvements have been made on land while under lease which is expiring, and the former lessee is not the successful bidder, but the land is leased to another, the amount of such improvements shall be paid to the former lessee. The following shall be considered improvements: plowing done within one (1) year, provided no crop has been raised on the plowed land after such plowing, fencing, buildings, cisterns, wells, growing crops and any other asset which shall be considered an improvement by the director.

(12) Commercial leases of the state lands shall not be subject to the conflict auction provisions of section 58-310, Idaho Code. The board may, at its discretion, consider individual applications or call for proposals and sealed bids by public advertisement, and may evaluate said proposals and award the lease to the bidder whose proposal achieves the highest return over the term of the lease and who is capable of meeting such terms and conditions as may be set by the board; in the alternative, the board may call for lease applications by public advertisement and if more than one (1) person files an application to hold an auction in the same manner as provided in section 58-310, Idaho Code. In all cases, the board must obtain a reasonable rental, based upon fair market value of the state land, throughout the duration of the lease. The board may reject any or all proposals and any or all bids, and may reoffer the lease at a later date if the board determines that the proposals or bids do not achieve the highest and best use of the land at market rental.

History:

[58-307, added 1905, p. 131, 15; reen. R.C., sec. 1574; am. 1915, ch. 167, sec. 1, p. 36; compiled and reen. C.L., sec. 1574; C.S., sec. 2907; am. 1921, ch. 28, sec. 1, p. 36; I.C.A., sec. 56-307; am. 1941, ch. 162, sec. 1, p. 324; am. 1970, ch. 10, sec. 1, p. 17; am. 1972, ch. 108, sec. 1, p. 222; am. 1974, ch. 17, sec. 61, p. 308; am. 1979, ch. 25, sec. 1, p. 40; am. 1980, ch. 107, sec. 1, p. 244; am. 1987, ch. 111, sec. 1, p. 224; am. 1993, ch. 331, sec. 1, p. 1229; am. 1995, ch. 174, sec. 1, p. 655; am. 1995, ch. 185, sec. 1, p. 671; am. 1997, ch. 36, sec. 1, p. 63; am. 1999, ch. 84, sec. 1, p. 280; am. 1999, ch. 86, sec. 1, p. 285; am. 2000, ch. 84, sec. 3, p. 177; am. 2000, ch. 187, sec. 1, p. 460; am. 2003, ch. 234, sec. 1, p. 599; am. 2003, ch. 295, sec. 1, p. 798; am. 2004, ch. 155, sec. 1, p. 491; am. 2007, ch. 138, sec. 1, p. 400; am. 2008, ch. 103, sec. 1, p. 285; am. 2008, ch. 115, sec. 1, p. 319.; am. 2010, ch. 61, sec. 1, p. 109; am. 2024, ch. 102, sec. 1, p. 466.]