Lands and Minerals Division

The Lands and Minerals Division is responsible for implementing land policy on state-owned lands and providing fiduciary oversight for real estate and minerals transactions related to state ownership. The division has regulatory authority for the reclamation of metallic mineral and peat mines to ensure environmentally sound mining practices. Real estate responsibilities include acquisitions, sales, and land exchanges. Mineral management responsibilities include issuing leases for exploration and mining, negotiating lease rates, and managing revenue transactions related to mining and exploration. The program also provides technical assistance to local governments on mineral resources and mining issues. For more information on the DNR division of Lands and Minerals, please visit: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lands_minerals/index.html.

Lands and Minerals
FY 2006-07 Budget by Funding Source: $49.0 Million

• General - 82.7% / $40.5 Million
• Game & Fish - 4.1% / $2.0 Million
• Natural Resources - 9.1% / $4.5 Million
• Special Revenue - 4.1% / $2.0 Million

FY 2006-07 Lands and Minerals Program Breakdown by Responsibility

• Mineland Reclamation - 4.6% / $2.3 Million
• Minerals Management - 10.9% / $5.3 Million
• Real Estate Management - 21.1% / $10.3 Million
• Pass Through Payments - 63.4% / $31.0 Million

Real estate management is responsible for land acquisitions, land exchanges, land sales, road easements, utility licenses, real estate tax and special assessment payments, agricultural leases, calculating payments in lieu of taxes (PILT), reviews county-proposed tax-forfeited land sales, land surveying and boundary staking and platting for acquisitions, conservation easements, review of encroachments and adjoining rights, and review of quiet title actions. Minerals management is responsible for mineral leases, title research, maintaining land and mineral rights information, monitoring global commodity demand and pricing, determining ore quality, conducting field inspections, technical information on construction aggregate resources, Iron Ore cooperative research, and minerals diversification program. Mineland reclamation is responsible for issuing mining permits,establishing and enforcing regulations for reclamation of lands disturbed by mining, enforcing reclamation law, developing mine closure plans, and environmental cooperative research program. Pass through payments for PILT are made by the Department of Revenue.

PILT is a local governmental aid payment for state owned natural resource lands, that is made by the state to counties, townships, and some school districts.