Counties collect Payment in Lieu of Taxes for state-owned land not subject to property tax
Minnesota’s 87 counties are the beneficiaries of $35.7 million in aid that helps support public lands and provides a critical link in the state’s public recreation system, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
Annual payments for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), a property tax relief program that offsets revenues not collected on public lands, recently were distributed by the state’s Department of Revenue.
Counties have received PILT payments annually since 1979 in place of property taxes on 5.6 million acres of state-managed lands and 2.8 million acres of county-managed tax-forfeited lands. Dollars for the payments come from the state’s general fund.
For fiscal year 2017 the DNR, primarily the Divisions of Forestry, Fish and Wildlife and Parks and Trails, paid $462,702.40 to Fillmore County for 17,004.46 acres. This is an average of $27.21/acre for predominately forested land.
For further information and frequently asked questions regarding PILT statewide go to this website: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/aboutdnr/legislativeinfo/pilt/index.html.