Real Estate Programs Indian Lands

To provide real property management, counseling, and land use planning services to individual Indian allottees and Indian tribal and Alaska Native entities who own an interest in almost 56 million acres of trust land; to provide real estate appraisal

This program provides real property management, land use planning, appraisal, and lease administration services for Indian trust and restricted lands. It assists individual Indian landowners, federally recognized tribes, and Alaska Native entities in managing trust land assets, processing real estate transactions, ensuring lease compliance, protecting trust interests, and supporting the productive and sustainable use of Indian trust lands under applicable federal authorities.

Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments, Native American Organizations authorized by tribes, and individual American Indians.

Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments and their members.

Real Estate Services: decision-making processes are developed through cooperative efforts with the Indian landowners for the proper utilization, development, and enhancement of Indian trust lands. Real Estate Appraisals are one element in trust land transactions and are restricted to American Indians who have an ownership interest in property held in trust by the Federal government. Lease Compliance: program resources are used to ensure that leases on trust and restricted Indian lands and their assignees comply with the terms of the leases.

Real Estate Services: decision-making processes are developed through cooperative efforts with the Indian landowners for the proper utilization, development, and enhancement of Indian trust lands. Real Estate Appraisals are one element in trust land transactions and are restricted to American Indians who have an ownership interest in property held in trust by the Federal government. Lease Compliance: program resources are used to ensure that leases on trust and restricted Indian lands and their assignees comply with the terms of the leases.

Awards are made on an annual basis and the funds remain available until expended by the contractor/grantee.

Informal preapplication conference is recommended. Technical assistance in preparing the application is available upon request.

All applications must be received by the established deadline. Initial applications for real estate services and lease compliance must contain the information specified in 25 CFR, Part 900, Subpart C, "Contract Proposal Contents." Completed applications should be submitted to the local Bureau of Indian Affairs agency office listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog.

Funding levels for Real Estate Services and Real Estate Appraisals are determined by the individual Tribe through participation in the BIA's budget formulation process. All applicants meeting the criteria in 25 CFR Part 900 will be funded. Appraisals are conducted for all transactions involving trust property. The time required to complete an appraisal depends on the number of requests being processed by a specific office and the resources available to meet the requests. Lease Compliance funds are distributed to the Regional offices based on three factors: (1) total number of leases, (2) total number of acres, and (3) total amount of income derived from leases. Awards for lease compliance are determined by the number of qualifying leases reported to the Agency and Regional Offices. Minimum funding of $50,000 is allocated to each Regional office. In allocating program resources, priority is given to activities involving agriculture, oil and gas, mining, industrial, business, recreational, and other income-producing leases.

For Real Estate Services and Real Estate Appraisals, the dollar value of the awards depends upon the amount that has been prioritized by the individual Tribe through tribal participation in the BIA's budget formulation process. For Lease Compliance, funding is distributed to the Regional offices on the basis of number of existing leases and the number of inspections planned for the year. For Lease Compliance awards, in some cases, the award can be approved at the agency level. In most instances, the application will be forwarded to the Regional Director for approval.

Applications will be processed within 90 days.

Awards for Real Estate Services and Lease Compliance may be renewed indefinitely upon satisfactory performance by the contractor/grantee. A notice of intent to renew should be submitted at least 90 days prior to the expiration of the current award. The amount of the award may be adjusted as a result of individual tribal priorities established in the budget formulation process. Awards for Real Estate Appraisals are a single-action item completed for a specific property and are not subject to renewal.

An unsuccessful applicant may request an informal conference with the deciding official or may appeal the denial of the application directly to the Interior Board of Indian Appeals, or may bring suit in U.S. District Court. Full appeal procedures are found in 25 CFR, Part 900.