HF 4804

03/17/26   REVISOR  CKM/EE  26-07995
This Document can be made available
in alternative formats upon request  State of Minnesota
  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
  NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
  H. F. No.  4804
04/07/2026     Authored by Skraba, Heintzeman, Warwas and Igo
  The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy
1.1A bill for an act
1.2relating to natural resources; requiring extensions of certain timber permits;
1.3amending Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 90.101, subdivision 2; 90.151,
1.4subdivision 1.
1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
1.6Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 90.101, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
1.7Subd. 2. Sale list and notice. At least 30 days before the date of sale, the commissioner
1.8shall compile a list containing a description of each tract of land upon which any timber to
1.9be offered is situated and a statement of the estimated quantity of timber, an assessment of
1.10whether the permit will require frozen ground access, and a statement of the appraised price
1.11of each kind of timber thereon as shown by the report of the state appraiser. No description
1.12shall be added after the list is posted and no timber shall be sold from land not described in
1.13the list. Copies of the list must be furnished to all interested applicants. At least 30 days
1.14before the date of sale, a copy of the list must be posted on the Internet or conspicuously
1.15posted in the forest office or other public facility most accessible to potential bidders. The
1.16commissioner may give other published or posted notice as the commissioner deems proper
1.17to reach prospective bidders.
1.18Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 90.151, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
1.19Subdivision 1. Issuance; expiration. (a) Following receipt of the down payment for
1.20state timber required under section 90.14 or 90.191, the commissioner shall issue a numbered
1.21permit to the purchaser, in a format approved by the commissioner, by the terms of which
1.22the purchaser is authorized to enter upon the land and to cut and remove the timber described
1.23in the permit as designated for cutting in the report of the state appraiser, according to the
Sec. 2.  1
03/17/26   REVISOR  CKM/EE  26-07995
2.1  provisions of this chapter. The permit must be correctly dated and executed by the
2.2  commissioner and signed by the purchaser. If a permit is not signed by the purchaser within
2.3  45 days from the date of purchase, the permit cancels and the down payment for timber
2.4  required under section 90.14 forfeits to the state. The commissioner may grant an additional
2.5  period for the purchaser to sign the permit, not to exceed ten business days, provided the
2.6  purchaser pays a $200 penalty fee.
2.7      (b) The permit expires no later than five years after the date of sale as the commissioner
2.8  shall specify or as specified under section 90.191, and the timber must be cut and removed
2.9  within the time specified. If additional time is needed, the permit holder must request, before
2.10 the expiration date, and may be granted, for good and sufficient reasons, up to 90 additional
2.11 days for the completion of skidding, hauling, and removing all equipment and buildings.
2.12 All cut timber, equipment, and buildings not removed from the land after expiration of the
2.13 permit becomes the property of the state.
2.14     (c) The commissioner may grant additional time not to exceed 240 days for removing
2.15 cut timber, equipment, and buildings upon receipt of a written request by the permit holder
2.16 for good and sufficient reasons. The permit holder may combine in the written request under
2.17 this paragraph the request for additional time under paragraph (b).
2.18     (d) Notwithstanding paragraph (b), if during sale preparation and documentation under
2.19 section 90.101, subdivision 2, timber removal on one or more tracts is deemed by the
2.20 designated state appraiser to require frozen ground access to properly access, the permit
2.21 must be for a term of at least four years and end on May 31 of the fifth year.
2.22   Sec. 3. TIMBER PERMITS; EXTENSION.
2.23     Subdivision 1. Eligibility. For purposes of this section, an "eligible permit" is an
2.24 unexpired timber permit issued before March 1, 2026, regardless of the permit's expiration
2.25 date or whether the permit has previously been extended. To be eligible under this section,
2.26 a permit holder must not be delinquent or have an active willful trespass with the state.
2.27     Subd. 2. Extensions. Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary in Minnesota
2.28 Statutes, chapter 90, upon written request to the commissioner of natural resources by the
2.29 holder of an eligible permit submitted before the permit expires, the commissioner must
2.30 grant an extension of the permit for one year without penalty or interest.
Sec. 3.  2