North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act of 2025

House Votes

This bill lets North Dakota give up state-owned parcels that sit wholly or partly inside tribal reservations and, in return, pick equal-value federal public land elsewhere in the state. The goal is to restore land and minerals to tribes where state parcels fall within reservation boundaries. The Interior Department must decide on the state’s selection within 180 days and begin the land transfer within 60 days after approval .

If a relinquished parcel is inside a reservation, the tribe can ask for it to be taken into trust right away, and it becomes part of the reservation. The bill does not change treaty rights or existing tribal trust lands. Current leases, rights-of-way, and grazing permits can continue for their remaining terms. Before any transfer, both sides must check for hazardous materials. While the state is choosing parcels, the selected federal lands are set aside from new mining and similar claims until a decision is made. Land values must be roughly equal, using appraisals (simpler methods allowed for smaller, low-value parcels), and small differences can be settled with payments or a running ledger .

• Who is affected: Tribal nations in North Dakota; the State’s trust lands program; people and businesses with leases or grazing permits on affected lands.
• What changes: North Dakota may trade state parcels inside reservations for similar-value federal public land; some sensitive or protected areas can’t be picked; selected land is paused from new mining or leasing during review; existing uses can continue for now .
• When: Federal review within 180 days; transfer actions start within 60 days after approval; hazardous checks happen before any conveyance; any value “ledger” must be balanced within 3 years and closed within 5 years after the last transfer .