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Finding & Purchasing Government LandsDoes the Federal Government ever sell public land? The answer is yes. Lands identified as excess to the public's and Government's needs or more suited to private ownership are sometimes offered for sale. This brochure can help explain the procedures and where to go for details.First, it's important to understand the Federal Government has two major categories of property which it makes available for sale: real property and public lands. Real Property is primarily developed land with buildings, usually acquired by the Federal Government for a specific purpose, such as a military base or office building. Public Land is undeveloped land with no improvements, usually part of the original public domain established during the western expansion of the United States. Most of this land is in the 11 Western States and Alaska,* although some scattered parcels are in the East. This land is the responsibility of the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM). If it's public land you're interested in, read on. We can help you. If you're interested in real property, you should contact the General Services Administration (GSA); it's responsible for selling developed, surplus property. Addresses of the GSA Regional Offices are listed in the back of this brochure. If you're still reading, we can assume you're interested in the possibility of buying public land from the BLM. We receive numerous questions about our land sales, and this brochure is designed to answer many of the questions most commonly asked. Later on, we'll also tell you where you can obtain more detailed information. * Due to land entitlements to the State of Alaska and to Alaska Natives, no public land sales will be conducted in Alaska in the foreseeable future. Q. Where are these public lands?
There are no public lands managed by the BLM in Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. Q. Is any of this land available free through homesteading?
Q. What lands are available?
Q. How are these lands selected for sale?
Q. What do the lands look like?
Q. Is any land suitable for farming?
Q. On the average, what would public land cost per acre?
Q. How is the land actually sold?
Q. Are there any preferences for veterans?
Q. Where can I find out about land that is going to be sold?
Q. Where are land sales held?
Q. Are there any restrictions on who can bid on these parcels?
Q. Must I appear in person to participate at the sale?
Q. How is payment made? Is there financing available?
Q. Once the BLM issues my deed, can I do anything I want with
the land?
Q. What about local taxes, zoning, etc.?
Q. Are water, power, and sewer service available on all parcels?
Q. Are there roads or easements that guarantee I can get to the
property?
Q. I'd like to find out what parcels the BLM currently has listed
for sale. Where can I obtain that information?
More detailed information, such as land reports, environmental assessments, etc., is also available upon request for a small copy fee. U.S.DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FOREST SERVICENew legislative authority will be necessary to allow the sale of national forest system lands. If Congress authorizes the sale of national forest system lands, details can be obtained from the Forest Service, P.O. Box 96090, Washington, D.C. 20090.TAX DELINQUENCY SALESSome local governments sell private land on which taxes have been delinquent to satisfy the tax debt. The Federal Government has no involvement in these sales. The best source for information is the local county tax assessor in the area involved.STATE LAND PROGRAMSState governments sometimes sell state-owned land. Information on these types of sales can be obtained through the State Lands Office in the State capital.U.S.DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT STATE OFFICES ALASKA: 222 W. 7th Ave., # 13 Anchorage, AK 99513-7599 (907) 271-5555 ARIZONA: 3707 North 7th Street P.O. Box 16563 Phoenix, AZ 85011 (602) 640-5547 CALIFORNIA: 2800 Cottage Way, E-2841 Sacramento, CA 95825-1889 (916) 978-4754 COLORADO: 2850 Youngfield Street Lakewood, CO 80215-7076 (303) 239-3705 STATES EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, plus ARKANSAS, IOWA, LOUISIANA, MINNESOTA, and MISSOURI: Eastern States Office 7450 Boston Boulevard Springfield, Virginia 22153 (703) 440-1600 IDAHO: 3380 Americana Terrace Boise, ID 83706 (208) 384-3000 MONTANA, NORTH DAKOTA, and SOUTH DAKOTA: 222 N. 32nd Street P.O. Box 36800 Billings, MT 59107 (406) 255-2940 NEVADA: 850 Harvard Way P.O. Box 12000 Reno, NV 89520-0006 (702) 785-6501 NEW MEXICO, KANSAS, OKLAHOMA, and TEXAS: 1474 Rodeo Road P.O. Box 27115 Santa Fe, NM 87502-0115 (505) 438-7450 OREGON and WASHINGTON: 1300 N.E. 44th Ave. P.O. Box 2965 Portland, OR 97208-2965 (503) 280-7158 UTAH: CFS Financial Center - 301 324 South State Street P.O. Box 45155 Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0155 (801) 539-4100 WYOMING and NEBRASKA: 2515 Warren Avenue P.O. Box 1828 Cheyenne, WY 82003 (307) 775-6117 OTHER LAND DISPOSALS BY FEDERAL AGENCIES GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION REGION 1 CONNECTICUT, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, MAINE, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PUERTO RICO, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, VIRGIN ISLANDS, WISCONSIN 10 Causeway Street, Room 1079 Boston, MA 02222 (617) 565-5700 REGION 4 ALABAMA, DELAWARE, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, KENTUCKY, MARYLAND, MISSISSIPPI, NORTH CAROLINA, PENNSYLVANIA, SOUTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, VIRGINIA, WEST VIRGINIA 401 West Peachtree Street Atlanta, GA 30365 (404) 331-5133 REGION 7 ARKANSAS, COLORADO, IOWA, KANSAS, LOUISIANA, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW MEXICO, NORTH DAKOTA, OKLAHOMA, SOUTH DAKOTA, TEXAS, UTAH, WYOMING 819 Taylor Street Fort Worth, TX 76102 (817) 334-2331 REGION 9 ALASKA, AMERICAN SAMOA, ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, GUAM, HAWAII, IDAHO, NEVADA, OREGON, THE TRUST TERRITORY OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS, WASHINGTON 525 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94105 (415) 744-5940 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management 1849 C St., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20240As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development is in the best interests of all our people. The Department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in Island Territories under U.S. administration. |