Timber permit extensions required.

A bill for an act

relating to natural resources; requiring extensions of certain timber permits;

amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 90.101, subdivision 2; 90.151,

subdivision 1.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 90.101, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Sale list and notice.

At least 30 days before the date of sale, the commissioner

shall compile a list containing a description of each tract of land upon which any timber to

be offered is situated and a statement of the estimated quantity of timber
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, an assessment of

whether the permit will require frozen ground access,
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and
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a statement
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of the appraised price

of each kind of timber thereon as shown by the report of the state appraiser. No description

shall be added after the list is posted and no timber shall be sold from land not described in

the list. Copies of the list must be furnished to all interested applicants. At least 30 days

before the date of sale, a copy of the list must be posted on the Internet or conspicuously

posted in the forest office or other public facility most accessible to potential bidders. The

commissioner may give other published or posted notice as the commissioner deems proper

to reach prospective bidders.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 90.151, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Issuance; expiration.

(a) Following receipt of the down payment for

state timber required under section
90.14
or
90.191
, the commissioner shall issue a numbered

permit to the purchaser, in a format approved by the commissioner, by the terms of which

the purchaser is authorized to enter upon the land and to cut and remove the timber described

in the permit as designated for cutting in the report of the state appraiser, according to the

provisions of this chapter. The permit must be correctly dated and executed by the

commissioner and signed by the purchaser. If a permit is not signed by the purchaser within

45 days from the date of purchase, the permit cancels and the down payment for timber

required under section
90.14
forfeits to the state. The commissioner may grant an additional

period for the purchaser to sign the permit, not to exceed ten business days, provided the

purchaser pays a $200 penalty fee.

(b) The permit expires no later than five years after the date of sale as the commissioner

shall specify or as specified under section
90.191
, and the timber must be cut and removed

within the time specified. If additional time is needed, the permit holder must request, before

the expiration date, and may be granted, for good and sufficient reasons, up to 90 additional

days for the completion of skidding, hauling, and removing all equipment and buildings.

All cut timber, equipment, and buildings not removed from the land after expiration of the

permit becomes the property of the state.

(c) The commissioner may grant additional time not to exceed 240 days for removing

cut timber, equipment, and buildings upon receipt of a written request by the permit holder

for good and sufficient reasons. The permit holder may combine in the written request under

this paragraph the request for additional time under paragraph (b).

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(d) Notwithstanding paragraph (b), if during sale preparation and documentation under

section 90.101, subdivision 2, timber removal on one or more tracts is deemed by the

designated state appraiser to require frozen ground access to properly access, the permit

must be for a term of at least four years and end on May 31 of the fifth year.

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Sec. 3.
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TIMBER PERMITS; EXTENSION.
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Subdivision 1.

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Eligibility.

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For purposes of this section, an "eligible permit" is an

unexpired timber permit issued before March 1, 2026, regardless of the permit's expiration

date or whether the permit has previously been extended. To be eligible under this section,

a permit holder must not be delinquent or have an active willful trespass with the state.

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Subd. 2.

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Extensions.

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Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary in Minnesota

Statutes, chapter 90, upon written request to the commissioner of natural resources by the

holder of an eligible permit submitted before the permit expires, the commissioner must

grant an extension of the permit for one year without penalty or interest.

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