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What is Fee Land? Flyer

What is Fee Land?

Flyer-What-is-Fee-Land_r-Pala-GIS

Pala GIS Department

For more information, contact Matthey Deveney, Director:
760-891-3512 | mdeveney@palatribe.com | Pala GIS Department

Text-based Version

What is Fee Land?

Fee Land (also called fee simple land) is the most complete form of land ownership in the United States. It means the owner has full rights to the land and everything on it, with very few limitations.

Fee Land at a Glance

  • Complete Ownership – You own the land, the structures, and the right to transfer it (sell, lease, or pass it down).
  • Transferable & Inheritable – Owners can freely sell or leave the land to heirs.
  • Subject to Local Laws – Ownership is still bound by taxes, zoning, and legal restrictions.
  • Not Held in Trust – Unlike trust land, fee land is not managed by the federal government or a tribe—it is privately owned.

Fee Land

  • Owned outright by an individual or entity
  • Can be sold, mortgaged, or transferred without federal approval
  • Subject to property taxes
  • Governed by local/state law and in some instances, tribal law.

Trust Land

  • The title is held by the U.S. government for a tribe or an individual
  • Requires federal approval for sale/transfer
  • Exempt from property taxes
  • Governed by federal and tribal law

Why It’s Important

Understanding the difference between fee land and trust land is important for:

  • Real estate transactions
  • Tribal sovereignty and governance
  • Property taxation
  • Land development and use

Questions

Would you like a map of your trust land? Feel free to contact the Pala GIS Department:
(760)891-3500 | gis@palatribe.com | www.palatribe.com/residents/gis-department

Sources

  1. Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute. Fee Simple. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/fee_simple
  2. Rocket Mortgage. What Is Fee Simple Ownership? https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/fee-simple
  3. Bankrate. What is Fee Simple? https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/what-is-fee-simple/
  4. Community Planning Extension. Fee Simple Ownership and Land Use Rights. https://community-planning.extension.org/fee-simple-ownership-and-land-use-rights/
  5. U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Fee to Trust Land Acquisitions. https://www.bia.gov/bia/ots/fee-to-trust

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