Title 79 — Title 79 PUBLIC LANDS

The definitions in this section apply throughout this title unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Aquatic lands" means all state-owned tidelands, shorelands, harbor areas, and the beds of navigable waters as defined in RCW 79.105.060 that are administered by the depa…

(1) The board or the commissioner has the power to compel through subpoena the attendance of witnesses and production of records for:(a) Hearings pertaining to public lands as provided by this title;(b) Determining the value and character of land, valuable materials, or improveme…

Any applicant to purchase, or lease, any public lands of the state, or any valuable materials thereon, and any person whose property rights or interests will be affected by such sale or lease, feeling aggrieved by any order or decision of the board, or the commissioner, concernin…

The department may review and reconsider any of its official acts relating to public lands until such time as a lease, contract, or deed shall have been made, executed, and finally issued, and the department may recall any lease, contract, or deed issued for the purpose of correc…

(1) Any sale, transfer, or lease in which the purchaser, transfer recipient, or lessee obtains the sale or lease by fraud or misrepresentation is void, and the contract of purchase or lease shall be of no effect. In the event of fraud, the contract, transferred property, or lease…

The provisions of chapter 199, Laws of 2004 are not intended to affect the trust responsibilities or trust management by the department for any trust lands granted by the federal government or legislatively created trusts. The trust obligations relating to federally granted lands…

The department is authorized to offer and pay a reward not to exceed ten thousand dollars in each case for information regarding violations of any statute or rule relating to the state's public lands and natural resources on those lands, except forest practices under chapter 76.0…

The duties of the county auditor in each county with a population of two hundred ten thousand or more, with regard to sales and leases dealt with under this title except RCW 79.11.250, 79.11.260, and * 79.94.040, are transferred to the county treasurer.[ 2003 c 334 s 451; 1991 c …

RCW 79.11.080, 79.11.010, 79.11.110, * 79.01.140, 79.11.160, 79.10.125, 79.13.130, * 79.01.252, * 79.01.256, * 79.01.260, * 79.01.264, 79.13.180, 79.02.260, 79.13.320, 79.13.410, 79.13.010, and * 79.01.277 do not apply to state tidelands, shorelands, harbor areas, and the beds of…

The commissioner of public lands is authorized and directed to appear before the United States land offices in all cases involving the validity of the selections of any lands granted to the state, and to summon witnesses and pay necessary witness fees and stenographer fees in suc…

The commissioner of public lands is authorized and directed to make applications, and to cause publication of notices of applications, to the interior department of the United States for certification that any land granted to the state is nonmineral in character, in accordance wi…

For the purpose of obtaining from the United States indemnity or lieu lands for such lands granted to the state for common schools, educational, penal, reformatory, charitable, capitol building, or other purposes, as have been or may be lost to the state, or the title to or use o…

Upon the making of any such agreement, the board shall be empowered and it shall be its duty to cause such examination and appraisal to be made as will determine the area and value, as nearly as may be, of the lands lost to the state, or the title to, use or possession of which i…

Whenever the title to any lands selected under the provisions of RCW 79.02.120 through 79.02.140 shall become vested in the state of Washington by the acceptance and approval of the lists of lands so selected, or other proper action of the United States, the governor, on behalf o…

So long as any grant of lands by the United States to the state of Washington, for any purpose, or as lieu or indemnity lands therefor, remains incomplete, the commissioner of public lands shall, from time to time, cause the records in his or her office and in the United States l…

In case any person interested in any tract of land heretofore selected by the territory of Washington or any officer, board, or agent thereof or by the state of Washington or any officer, board, or agent thereof or which may be hereafter selected by the state of Washington or the…

The department shall cause full and correct abstracts of all the public lands to be made and kept in suitable and well bound books, and other suitable records. Such abstracts shall show in proper columns and pages the section or part of section, lot or block, township and range i…

All maps, plats, and field notes of surveys, required to be made by this title shall, after approval by the department, be deposited and filed in the office of the department, which shall keep a careful and complete record and index of all maps, plats, and field notes of surveys …

All notices, orders, contracts, certificates, rules and regulations, or other documents or papers made and issued by or on behalf of the department, or the commissioner, as provided in this title, shall be authenticated by a seal whereon shall be the vignette of George Washington…

The department shall cause to be prepared, and furnish to applicants, blank forms of applications for the appraisal, transfer, and purchase of any state lands and the purchase of valuable materials situated thereon, and for the lease of state lands. These forms shall contain inst…

The department may charge and collect fees as determined by the board for each category of services performed based on costs incurred.[ 2003 c 334 s 428; 1979 ex.s. c 109 s 18; 1959 c 153 s 1; 1927 c 255 s 190; RRS s 7797-190. Formerly RCW 79.01.720, 43.12.120.]Notes:Intent—2003 …

(1) Applications for the purchase or use of lands and the sale of valuable materials by the department shall be accompanied by reasonable fees to be prescribed by the board in an amount sufficient to defray the cost of performing or otherwise providing for the processing, review,…

The department shall keep a fee book, in which shall be entered all fees received, with the date paid and the name of the person paying the same, and the nature of the services rendered for which the fee is charged, which book shall be verified monthly by affidavit entered therei…

When the entire purchase price of any state lands shall have been fully paid, the commissioner shall certify such fact to the governor, and shall cause a quitclaim deed signed by the governor and attested by the secretary of state, with the seal of the state attached thereto, to …

All contracts of purchase or leases issued by the department shall be assignable in writing by the contract holder or lessee and the assignee shall be subject to and governed by the provisions of law applicable to the assignor and shall have the same rights in all respects as the…

Whenever the holder of a contract of purchase or the holder of any lease, except for mining of valuable minerals or coal, or extraction of petroleum or gas, shall surrender the same to the department with the request to have it divided into two or more contracts, or leases, the d…

(1) Every person who, without authorization, uses or occupies public lands, removes any valuable material as defined in RCW 79.02.010 from public lands, or causes waste or damage to public lands, or injures publicly owned personal property or publicly owned improvements to real p…

Every person who willfully commits any trespass upon any public lands of the state and cuts down, destroys, or injures any timber, or any tree, including a Christmas tree as defined in *RCW 76.48.020, standing or growing thereon, or takes, or removes, or causes to be taken, or re…

Every person who shall cut or remove, or cause to be cut or removed, any timber growing or being upon any public lands of the state, including a Christmas tree as defined in *RCW 76.48.020, or who shall manufacture the same into logs, bolts, shingles, lumber or other articles of …

Every person being in lawful possession of any public lands of the state, under and by virtue of any lease or contract of purchase from the state, cuts down, destroys, or injures, or causes to be cut down, destroyed, or injured, any timber standing or growing thereon, or takes or…

The board must establish procedures to protect against cedar theft and to ensure adequate notice is given for persons interested in purchasing cedar.[ 2003 c 334 s 333.]Notes:Intent—2003 c 334: See note following RCW 79.02.010.

(1) Every five years the department of social and health services and other state agencies that operate institutions shall conduct an inventory of all real property subject to the charitable, educational, penal, and reformatory institution account and other real property acquired…

Where charitable, educational, penal, and reformatory institutions land has the potential for lease for commercial, industrial, or residential uses or other uses with the potential for high economic return and is within urban or suburban areas, the department shall make every eff…

(1) The legislature finds that the state's community and technical colleges need a dedicated source of revenue to augment other sources of capital improvement funding. The intent of this section is to ensure that the forestland purchased under section 310, chapter 16, Laws of 199…

(1) It shall be the duty of the department to report, and recommend, to each session of the legislature, any changes in the law relating to the methods of handling the public lands of the state that the department may deem advisable.(2) The department shall provide a comprehensiv…

The department is hereby authorized, when in its judgment it appears advisable, to accept on behalf of the state, any grant of land within the state which shall then become a part of the state forests. No grant may be accepted until the title has been examined and approved by the…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the department shall manage and control all lands acquired by the state by escheat or under RCW 79.19.010 through 79.19.110 and all lands acquired by the state by deed of sale or gift or by devise, except such lands which …

Any county, city or town is authorized and empowered to convey to the state of Washington any lands owned by such county, city or town upon the selection of such lands by the department and the department is hereby authorized to select and accept conveyances of lands from such co…

The department is authorized to use such lands for the purposes hereinbefore expressed and to improve said lands and build thereon any necessary structures for the purposes hereinbefore expressed and expend in so doing such funds as may be authorized by law therefor.[ 1988 c 128 …

The department may comply with county or municipal zoning ordinances, laws, rules, or regulations affecting the use of public lands where such regulations are consistent with the treatment of similar private lands.[ 2004 c 199 s 209; 2003 c 334 s 544; 1971 ex.s. c 234 s 13. Forme…

(1) In the management of public lands lying within the limits of any watershed over and through which is derived the water supply of any city or town, the department may alter its land management practices to provide water with qualities exceeding standards established for intras…

When the merchantable timber has been sold and actually removed from any state lands, the department may classify the land, and may reserve from any future sale such portions thereof as may be found suitable for reforestation, and in such case, shall enter such reservation in its…

Periodically at intervals to be determined by the board, the department shall cause an economic analysis to be made of those state lands held in trust, where the nature of the trust makes maximization of the economic return to the beneficiaries of income from state lands the prim…

The legislature hereby directs that a multiple use concept be utilized by the department in the administration of public lands where such a concept is in the best interests of the state and the general welfare of the citizens thereof, and is consistent with the applicable provisi…

"Multiple use" as used in RCW 79.10.070, 79.44.003, and this chapter shall mean the management and administration of state-owned lands under the jurisdiction of the department to provide for several uses simultaneously on a single tract and/or planned rotation of one or more uses…

Multiple uses additional to and compatible with those basic activities necessary to fulfill the financial obligations of trust management may include but are not limited to:(1) Recreational areas;(2) Recreational trails for both vehicular and nonvehicular uses developed or mainta…

All state lands hereafter leased for grazing or agricultural purposes shall be open and available to the public for purposes of hunting and fishing, and for nonconsumptive wildlife activities, as defined by the board of natural resources, unless closed to public entry because of …

(1) The department is hereby authorized to carry out all activities necessary to achieve the purposes of this section and RCW 79.10.060, 79.10.070, 79.10.100 through 79.10.120, 79.10.200 through 79.10.330, 79.44.003, and 79.105.050 including, but not limited to:(a) Planning, cons…

The department is authorized:(1) To construct, operate, and maintain primitive outdoor recreation and conservation facilities on lands under its jurisdiction which are of primitive character when deemed necessary by the department to achieve maximum effective development of such …

The department may adopt a multiple use land resource allocation plan for all or portions of the lands under its jurisdiction providing for the identification and establishment of areas of land uses and identifying those uses which are best suited to achieve the purposes of RCW 7…