Title 79 — Title 79 PUBLIC LANDS

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2348.SL) ***It is the duty of the department to fix the date, time, and place of sale.(1) All valuable materials shall have been appraised prior to the date fixed for sale as prescribed in RCW 79.15.060.(2) No sale may be conducted on any day that is a…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2348.SL) ***(1) Sales, other than direct sales, appraised at an amount not exceeding two hundred fifty thousand dollars, when authorized by the board for sale, shall be advertised by publishing not less than ten days prior to sale a notice of such sale…

The advertisement of sales is for informational purposes only, and under no circumstances does the information in the notice of sale constitute a warranty that the purchaser will receive the stated values, volumes, or acreage. All purchasers are expected to make their own measure…

(1) Valuable materials may be sold separately from the land as a "lump sum sale" or as a "scale sale."(a) "Lump sum sale" means any sale offered with a single total price applying to all the material conveyed.(b) "Scale sale" means any sale offered with per unit prices to be appl…

(1) Sales of valuable materials must be conducted under the direction of the department or its authorized representative.(a) Sales of valuable materials, unless otherwise provided in this chapter, shall be at public auction or by sealed bid to the highest bidder, except that, on …

The department shall enter upon its records a confirmation of sale and issue to the purchaser a bill of sale for valuable materials if the following conditions have been met:(1) No fewer than ten days have passed since the auctioneer's report has been filed;(2) No affidavit is fi…

When valuable materials are sold separately from the land and the purchase price is paid in full, the department shall prepare a bill of sale. The bill of sale shall:(1) State the time period for removing the material;(2) Be signed by the commissioner and attested by the seal of …

(1) In the event that the department determines that regulatory requirements or some other circumstance beyond the control of both the department and the purchaser has made a valuable materials contract wholly or partially impracticable to perform, the department may cancel any p…

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 2348.SL) ***A sale of valuable materials that has been offered, and for which there are no bids received, shall not be reoffered until it has been readvertised as prescribed in RCW 79.11.130.[ 2003 c 334 s 351.]Notes:Intent—2003 c 334: See note followi…

From time to time timber on state land is damaged by events such as fire, windstorms, and flooding. After such events the timber becomes very susceptible to loss of value and quality due to rot and disease. To obtain maximum value for the state, it is important to sell any damage…

When the department finds valuable materials on state land that are damaged by fire, wind, flood, or from any other cause, it shall determine if the salvage of the damaged valuable materials is in the best interest of the trust for which the land is held, which may include the sa…

(1) The department, upon application by any person, may enter into a contract providing for the sale and removal of rock, gravel, sand, and silt located upon state lands or state forestlands, and providing for payment to be made on a royalty basis.(2) The issuance of a contract s…

(1) Any county, city, or town may file with the department an application to purchase any stone, rock, gravel, or sand upon any state lands or state forestlands to be used in the construction, maintenance, or repair of any public street, road, or highway within such county, city,…

The department may issue licenses to residents of this state to enter upon lands under the administration or jurisdiction of the department for the purpose of removing therefrom, standing or downed timber which is unfit for any purpose except to be used as firewood.[ 2003 c 334 s…

In addition to other matters which may be required to be contained in the application for a license under this chapter the applicant must certify that the wood so removed is to be only for the applicant's own personal use and in his or her own home and that the applicant will not…

The application may be made to the department, and if deemed proper, the license may be issued upon the payment of two dollars and fifty cents which shall be paid into the treasury of the state by the officer collecting the same and placed in the resource management cost account …

Whenever the department determines that it is in the best interest of the state and there will be a benefit to the lands involved or a state program affecting such lands it may designate specific areas and authorize the general public to enter upon lands under its jurisdiction fo…

Any false statement made in the application or any violation of the provisions of RCW 79.15.400 through 79.15.430 shall constitute a gross misdemeanor and be punishable as such.[ 2003 c 334 s 234; 1945 c 97 s 4; Rem. Supp. 1945 s 7797-40d. Formerly RCW 76.20.040.]Notes:Intent—200…

The definitions in this section apply throughout RCW 79.15.500 through 79.15.530 and 79.15.540 unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of public lands.(2) "Contract harvesting" means a timber operation occurring on state forestlands…

(1) The department may establish a contract harvesting program for directly contracting for the removal of timber and other valuable materials from state lands and for conducting silvicultural treatments consistent with RCW 79.15.540.(2) The contract requirements must be compatib…

(1) The contract harvesting revolving account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts from the gross proceeds of the sale of logs from a contract harvesting sale must be deposited into the account. Expenditures from the account may be used only for the paym…

The board of natural resources must determine whether any special appraisal practices are necessary for logs sold by the contract harvesting processes, and if so, must adopt the special appraisal practices or procedures. In its consideration of special appraisal practices, the bo…

(1) The legislature intends to ensure, to the extent feasible given all applicable trust responsibilities, that trust beneficiaries receive long-term income from timberlands through improved forest conditions and by reducing the threat of forest fire to state trust forestlands.(2…

(1) The department, with the approval of the board, may exchange any state land and any timber thereon for any land of equal value in order to:(a) Facilitate the marketing of forest products of state lands;(b) Consolidate and block-up state lands;(c) Acquire lands having commerci…

(1) The board of county commissioners of any county and/or the mayor and city council or city commission of any city or town and/or the board shall have authority to exchange, each with the other, or with the federal forest service, the federal government or any proper agency the…

For the purpose of securing an area suitable for a demonstration forest and forest experiment station for the University of Washington authority is hereby granted the board of regents of the University of Washington and the department with the approval of the board, acting with t…

The department may exchange surplus real property previously acquired by the department as administrative sites. The property may be exchanged for any public or private real property of equal value, to preserve archaeological sites on trust lands, to acquire land to be held in na…

Before a proposed exchange is presented to the board involving an exchange of any lands under the administrative control of the department, the department shall hold a public hearing on the proposal in the county where the state-owned land or the greatest proportion thereof is lo…

The commissioner shall, with the advice and approval of the attorney general, execute such agreements, writings, or relinquishments and certify to the governor such deeds as are necessary or proper to complete an exchange.[ 2003 c 334 s 210; 1961 c 77 s 2; 1937 c 77 s 2; RRS s 58…

Lands acquired by the state of Washington as the result of any exchange shall be held and administered for the benefit of the same fund and subject to the same laws as were the lands exchanged therefor.[ 2003 c 334 s 211; 1961 c 77 s 3. Formerly RCW 76.12.065.]Notes:Intent—2003 c…

Except as otherwise provided in RCW 79.17.110, upon the application of a school district or any institution of higher education for the purchase or lease of lands granted to the state by the United States, the department may offer such land for sale or lease to such school distri…

Notwithstanding the provisions of RCW 79.11.010 or any other provision of law, any school district or institution of higher education leasing land granted to the state by the United States and on which land such district or institution has placed improvements as defined in RCW 79…

The purchases authorized under RCW 79.17.110 shall be classified as for the construction of common *A.525.200school [common school] plant facilities under RCW 28A.525.010 through 28A.525.200 and shall be payable out of the common school construction fund as otherwise provided for…

In those cases where the purchases, as authorized by RCW 79.17.110 and 79.17.120, have been made on a ten year contract, the board, if it deems it in the best interest of the state, may extend the term of any such contract to not to exceed an additional ten years under such terms…

Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, annually the board shall determine if lands purchased or leased by school districts or institutions of higher education under the provisions of RCW * 79.11.010 and 79.17.110 are being used for school sites. If such land has not been us…

(1) For the purposes of this section, "public agency" means any agency, political subdivision, or unit of local government of this state including, but not limited to, municipal corporations, quasi-municipal corporations, special purpose districts, and local service districts; an…

(1) The legislature finds that the department has a need to maintain the real property asset base it manages and needs an accounting mechanism to complete transactions without reducing the real property asset base.(2) The natural resources real property replacement account is cre…

Actions under this chapter are subject to the notification requirements of RCW 43.17.400.[ 2007 c 62 s 4.]Notes:Finding—Intent—Severability—2007 c 62: See notes following RCW 43.17.400.

(1) The department is authorized to create and manage a trust land transfer program. Real property available for the trust land transfer program is economically underperforming state land and state forestland with high ecological or public benefit and deemed appropriate for state…

The department shall administer the trust land transfer program as follows:(1) Any citizen, state and federal agencies, counties, cities, towns, federally recognized Indian tribes, nonprofit organizations, special purpose districts, public development authorities, and other polit…

The legislature finds that from time to time it may be desirable for the department to sell state lands which have low potential for natural resource management or low income-generating potential or which, because of geographic location or other factors, are inefficient for the d…

The department, with the approval of the board, may purchase property at fair market value to be held in a land bank, which is hereby created within the department. Property so purchased shall be property which would be desirable for addition to the public lands of the state beca…

The department, with the approval of the board, may:(1) Exchange property held in the land bank for any other lands of equal value administered by the department, including state lands and state forestlands;(2) Exchange property held in the land bank for property of equal or grea…

The department may manage the property held in the land bank as provided in RCW 79.10.030. However, the properties or interest in such properties shall not be withdrawn, exchanged, transferred, or sold without first obtaining payment of the fair market value of the property or in…

Income from the sale of property in the land bank shall be deposited in the land bank account created in RCW 79.19.120 and may be used to acquire property under RCW 79.19.020.[ 2023 c 383 s 13; 2003 c 334 s 529; 1984 c 222 s 5; 1977 ex.s. c 109 s 5. Formerly RCW 79.66.050.]Notes:…

The department shall be reimbursed for actual costs and expenses incurred in managing and administering the land bank program under this chapter from the forest development account or the resource management cost account in an amount not to exceed the limits provided in RCW 79.64…

Periodically, at intervals to be determined by the board, the department shall identify trust lands which are expected to convert to commercial, residential, or industrial uses within ten years. The department shall adhere to existing local comprehensive plans, zoning classificat…

If the department determines to exchange urban land for land bank land, public agencies defined in RCW 79.17.200 that may benefit from owning the property shall be notified in writing of the determination. The public agencies have sixty days from the date of notice by the departm…

The purpose of this section is to foster cooperative planning among the state, the department, and local governments as to state-owned lands under the department's jurisdiction situated in urban areas.At least once a year, prior to finalizing the department's urban land leasing a…

Lands purchased by the department for commercial, industrial, or residential use shall be subject to payment of in-lieu of real property tax for the period in which they are held in the land bank. The in-lieu payment shall be equal to the property taxes which would otherwise be p…