Introduction
The Arizona State Land Department manages state land that is held in trust for the benefit of public schools and prisons. Though the land belongs to the state, it is not public land. The State Land Department has a number of divisions to manage the trust land, including divisions devoted to natural resources (including programs for minerals, water, energy, and agricultural leasing), real estate, administration, information systems, and a board of appeals.
Laws and Regulations
The statutes related to state land are mainly located in Title 37 of the Arizona Revised Statutes and the regulations are in Title 12 of the Arizona Administrative Code.
Agency Decisions
All land sales and commercial leases are required to be approved by the Board of Appeals, which also serves as an Administrative Review Board. Final decisions of the State Land Commissioner relating to appraisals and classifications for applicants and lesses may be appealed to the Board of Appeals. The Board is composed of five board members selected by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate for six-year terms. The Board does not make their decision available to the public online.
Decisions of the State Land Department may be appealed to the Office of Administrative Hearings, which does make its decisions available online.
The Arizona Department of Water Resources mission is "protecting and enhancing Arizona's water supplies for current and future generations."
The statutes related to water are mainly located in Title 45 of the Arizona Revised Statutes and the regulations are in Title 12, Chapter 15 of the Arizona Administrative Code.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality mission "is to protect and enhance public health and the environment in Arizona. To achieve this, we administer the state’s environmental laws and delegated federal programs to prevent air, water and land pollution and ensure cleanup."
The statutes related to the environment are mainly located in Title 49 of the Arizona Revised Statutes and the regulations are in Title 18 of the Arizona Administrative Code.
The agency's decisions are available on Westlaw.
Arizona Department of Agriculture mission is to "support and promote Arizona agriculture in a way that encourages farming, ranching and agribusiness, protects the well-being of people, plants, animals and the environment while safeguarding commerce, consumers and natural resources."
The statutes related to agriculture are mainly located in Title 3 of the Arizona Revised Statutes and the regulations are in Title 3 of the Arizona Administrative Code.