§ 2565.1 - General requirements.

§ 2565.1 General requirements.

(a) Survey of exterior lines; exclusions from townsite survey. If the land is unsurveyed the occupants must by application to the State Director, obtain a survey of the exterior lines of the townsite which will be made at Government expense. There must be excluded from the tract to be surveyed and entered for the townsite any lands set aside by the district court under section 31 of the Act of June 6, 1900 (31 Stat. 332; 48 U.S.C. 40), for use as jail and courthouse sites, also all lands needed for Government purposes or use, together with any existing valid claim initiated under Russian rule.

(b) Petition for trustee and for survey of lands into lots, blocks, etc. When the survey of the exterior lines has been approved, or if the townsite is on surveyed land, a petition, signed by a majority of occupants of the land, will be filed in the proper office requesting the appointment of trustee and the survey of the townsite into lots, blocks, and municipal reservations for public use, the expense thereof to be paid from assessments upon the lots, as provided in § 2565.3(b) of this part.

(c) Designation of trustee; payment required: area enterable. If the petition be found sufficient, the Secretary of the Interior will designate a trustee to make entry of the townsite, payment for which must be made at the rate of $1.25 per acre. If there are less than 100 inhabitants the area of the townsite is limited to 160 acres; if 100 and less than 200, to 320 acres; if more than 200, to 640 acres, this being the maximum area allowed by the statute.