§ 121.13 Removal of restrictions, Five Civilized Tribes, after application under section 2(a) of the Act of August 11, 1955.

When an Indian of the Five Civilized Tribes makes application for removal of restrictions under authority of section 2(a) of the Act of August 11, 1955 (69 Stat. 666), the Secretary will determine the competency of the applicant.

(a) If the Secretary determines the applicant to be competent, he shall issue an order removing restrictions having the effect stated in § 121.16.

(b) If the Secretary rejects the application, his action is not subject to administrative appeal, notwithstanding the provisions concerning appeals in Part 2 of this chapter.

(c) If the Secretary rejects the application, or neither rejects nor approves the application within 90 days of the application date, the applicant may apply to the State district court in the county in which he resides for an order removing restrictions. If that State district court issues such order, it will have the effect stated in § 121.16.

§ 121.14 Removal of restrictions, Five Civilized Tribes, without application. Section 2(b) of the Act of August 11, 1955 (69 Stat. 666), authorizes the Secretary to issue an order removing restrictions to an Indian of the Five Civilized Tribes without application therefor. When the Secretary determines an Indian to be competent, he shall notify the Indian in writing of his intent to issue an order removing restrictions 30 days after the date of the notice. This decision may be appealed under the provisions of Part 2 of this chapter within such 30 days. All administrative appeals under that part will postpone the issuance of the order. When the decision is not appealed within 30 days after the date of notice, or when any dismissal of an appeal is not appealed within the prescribed time limit, or when the final appeal is dismissed, an order removing restrictions will be issued.

§ 121.15 Judicial review of removal of restrictions, Five Civilized Tribes, without application.

When an order removing restrictions is issued, pursuant to § 121.14, a copy of such order will be delivered to the Indian, to any person acting in his behalf, and to the Board of County Commissioners for the county in which the Indian resides. At the time the order is delivered written notice will be given the parties that under the terms of the Act of August 11, 1955 (69 Stat. 666), the Indian or the Board of County Commissioners has, within 6 months of the date of notification, the right to appeal to the State district court for the district in which the Indian resides for an order setting aside the order removing restrictions. The timely initiation of proceedings in the State district court will stay the effective date of the order removing restrictions until such proceedings are concluded. If the State district court dismisses the appeal, the order removing restrictions will become effective 6 months after notification to the parties of such dismissal. The effect of the issuance of such order will be as prescribed in § 121.16.

§ 121.16 Effect of order removing restrictions, Five Civilized Tribes.

An order removing restrictions issued pursuant to the Act of August 11, 1955 (69 Stat. 666), on its effective date shall serve to remove all jurisdiction and supervision of the Bureau of Indian Affairs over money and property held by the United States in trust for the individual Indian or held subject to restrictions against alienation imposed by the United States. The Secretary shall cause to be turned over to the Indian full ownership and control of such money and property and issue in the case of land such title document as may be appropriate: Provided, That the Secretary may make such provisions as he deems necessary to insure payment of money loaned to any such Indian by the Federal Government or by an Indian tribe; And provided further, That the interest of any lessee or permittee in any lease. contract, or permit that is outstanding when an order removing restrictions

becomes effective shall be preserved as provided in section 2(d) of the Act of August 11, 1955 (69 Stat. 666).

SALES, EXCHANGES AND CONVEYANCES OF TRUST OR RESTRICTED LANDS

§ 121.17 Sales, exchanges and conveyances by, or with the consent of the individual Indian owner.

Pursuant to the Acts of May 27, 1902 (32 Stat. 275; 25 U.S.C. 379); May 17, 1906 (34 Stat. 197), as amended August 2, 1956 (70 Stat. 954; 48 U.S.C. 357); March 1, 1907 (34 Stat. 1018; 25 U.S.C. 405); May 29, 1908 (35 Stat. 444; 25 U.S.C. 404); June 25, 1910 (36 Stat. 855; 25 U.S.C. 372), as amended May 25, 1926 (44 Stat. 629; 48 U.S.C. 355a355d); June 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 984; 25 U.S.C. 464); and May 14, 1948 (62 Stat. 236; 25 U.S.C. 483); and pursuant to other authorizing acts, trust or restricted lands acquired by allotment, devise, inheritance, purchase, exchange, or gift may be sold, exchanged, and conveyed by the Indian owner with the approval of the Secretary or by the Secretary with the consent of the Indian owner.

§ 121.18 Sale with the consent of natural guardian or person designated by the Secretary.

Pursuant to the Act of May 29, 1908 (35 Stat. 444; 25 U.S.C. 404), the Secretary may, with the consent of the natural guardian of a minor, sell trust or restricted land belonging to such minor; and the Secretary may, with the consent of a person designated by him, sell trust or restricted land belonging to Indians who are minor orphans without a natural guardian, and Indians who are non compos mentis or otherwise under legal disability. The authority contained in this act is not applicable to lands in Oklahoma, Minnesota, and South Dakota, nor to lands authorized to be sold by the Act of May 14, 1948 (62 Stat. 236; 25 U.S.C. 483).

§ 121.19 Sale by fiduciaries.

Guardians, conservators, or other fiduciaries appointed by State courts, or by tribal courts operating under approved constitutions or law and order

codes, may, upon order of the court, convey with the approval of the Secretary or consent to the conveyance by the Secretary of trust or restricted land belonging to their Indian wards who are minors, non compos mentis or otherwise under legal disability. This section is subject to the exceptions contained in 25 U.S.C. § 954(b).

§ 121.20 Sale by Secretary of certain land in multiple ownership.

Pursuant to the Act of June 25, 1910 (36 Stat. 855), as amended (25 U.S.C. 372), if the Secretary decides that one or more of the heirs who have inherited trust land are incapable of managing their own affairs, he may sell any or all interests in that land. This authority is not applicable to lands authorized to be sold by the Act of May 14, 1948 (62 Stat. 236; 25 U.S.C. 483).

§ 121.21 Sale or exchange of tribal land.

Certain tribal land may be sold or exchanged pursuant to the Acts of February 14, 1920 (41 Stat. 415; 25 U.S.C. 294); June 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 984; 25 U.S.C. 464); August 10, 1939 (53 Stat. 1351; 25 U.S.C. 463(e)); July 1, 1948 (62 Stat. 1214); June 4, 1953 (67 Stat. 41; 25 U.S.C. 293(a)); July 28, 1955 (69 Stat. 392), as amended August 31, 1964 (78 Stat. 747; 25 U.S.C. 608608c); June 18, 1956 (70 Stat. 290; 25 U.S.C. 403a-2); July 24, 1956 (70 Stat. 626); May 19, 1958 (72 Stat. 121; 25 U.S.C. 463, Note); September 2, 1958 (72 Stat. 1762); April 4, 1960 (74 Stat. 13); April 29, 1960 (74 Stat. 85); December 11, 1963 (77 Stat. 349); August 11, 1964 (78 Stat. 389), and pursuant to other authorizing acts. Except as otherwise provided by law, and as far as practicable, the regulations in this Part 121 shall be applicable to sale or exchanges of such tribal land.

§ 121.22 Secretarial approval necessary to convey individual-owned trust or restricted lands or land owned by a tribe. (a) Individual lands. Trust or restricted lands, except inherited lands of the Five Civilized Tribes, or any interest therein, may not be conveyed without the approval of the Secretary. Moreover, inducing an Indian to execute an instrument purporting to

convey any trust land or interest therein, or the offering of any such instrument for record, is prohibited and criminal penalties may be incurred. (See 25 U.S.C. 202 and 348.)

(b) Tribal lands. Lands held in trust by the United States for an Indian tribe, lands owned by a tribe with Federal restrictions against alienation and any other land owned by an Indian tribe may only be conveyed where specific statutory authority exists and then only with the approval of the Secretary unless the Act of Congress authorizing sale provides that approval is unnecessary. (See 25 U.S.C. 177.)

§ 121.23 Applications for sale, exchange or gift.

Applications for the sale, exchange or gift of trust or restricted land shall be filed in the form approved by the Secretary with the agency having immediate jurisdiction over the land. Applications may be approved if, after careful examination of the circumstances in each case, the transaction appears to be clearly justified in the light of the long-range best interest of the owner or owners or as under conditions set out in § 121.25(d).

§ 121.24 Appraisal.

Except as otherwise provided by the Secretary, an appraisal shall be made indicating the fair market value prior to making or approving a sale, exchange, or other transfer of title of trust or restricted land.

§ 121.25 Negotiated sales, gifts and exchanges of trust or restricted lands. Those sales, exchanges, and gifts of trust or restricted lands specifically described in the following paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d) of this section may be negotiated; all other sales shall be by advertised sale, except as may be otherwise provided by the Secretary.

(a) Consideration not less than the appraised fair market value. Indian owners may, with the approval of the Secretary, negotiate a sale of and sell trust or restricted land for not less than the appraised fair market value: (1) When the sale is to the United States, States, or political subdivisions thereof, or such other sale as may be

for a public purpose; (2) when the sale is to the tribe or another Indian; or (3) when the Secretary determines it is impractical to advertise.

(b) Exchange at appraised fair market value. With the approval of the Secretary, Indian owners may exchange trust or restricted land, or a combination of such land and other things of value, for other lands or combinations of land and other things of value. The value of the consideration received by the Indian in the exchange must be at least substantially equal to the appraised fair market value of the consideration given by him.

(c) Sale to coowners. With the approval of the Secretary, Indian owners may negotiate a sale of and sell trust or restricted land to a coowner of that land. The consideration may be less than the appraised fair market value, if in the opinion of the Secretary there is a special relationship between the coowners or special circumstances exist.

(d) Gifts and conveyances for less than the appraised fair market value. With the approval of the Secretary, Indian owners may convey trust or restricted land, for less than the appraised fair market value or for no consideration when the prospective grantee is the owner's spouse, brother, sister, lineal ancestor of Indian blood or lineal descendant, or when some other special relationship exists between the grantor and grantee or special circumstances exist that in the opinion of the Secretary warrant the approval of the conveyance.

§ 121.26 Advertisement.

(a) Upon approval of an application for an advertised sale, notice of the sale will be published not less than 30 days prior to the date fixed for the sale unless for good cause a shorter period is authorized by the Secretary.

(b) The notice of sale will include (1) terms, conditions, place, date, hour, and methods of sale, including explanation of auction procedure as set out in § 121.27(b)(2) if applicable; (2) where and how bids shall be submitted; (3) a statement warning all bidders against violation of 18 U.S.C. 1860

prohibiting unlawful combination or intimidation of bidders or potential bidders; and (4) description of tracts, all reservations to which title will be subject and any restrictions and encumbrances of record with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and any other information that may improve sale prospects.

§ 121.27 Procedure of sale.

Advertised sales shall be by sealed bids except as otherwise provided herein.

(a) (1) Bids, conforming to the requirements set out in the advertisement of sale, along with a certified check, cashier's check, money order, or U.S. Treasury check, payable to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, for not less than 10 percent of the amount of the bid, must be enclosed in a sealed envelope marked as prescribed in the notice of sale. A cash deposit may be submitted in lieu of the above-specified negotiable instruments at the bidder's risk. Tribes submitting bids pursuant to this paragraph may guarantee the required 10 percent deposit by

an

appropriate resolution; (2) the sealed envelopes containing the bids will be publicly opened at the time fixed for sale. The bids will be announced and will be appropriately recorded.

(b) The policy of the Secretary recognizes that in many instances a tribe or a member thereof has a valid interest in acquiring trust or restricted lands offered for sale. (1) With the consent of the owner and when the notice of sale so states, the tribe or members of such tribe shall have the right to meet the high bid. (2) Provided the tribe is not the high bidder and when one or more acceptable sealed bids are received and when so stated in the notice of sale, an oral auction may be held following the bid opening. Bidding in the auction will be limited to the tribe, and to those who submitted sealed bids at 75 percent or more of the appraised value of the land being auctioned. At the conclusion of the auction the highest bidder must increase his deposit to not less than 10 percent of his auction bid.

§ 121.28 Action at close of bidding.

(a) The officer in charge of the sale shall publicly announce the apparent highest acceptable bid. The deposits submitted by the unsuccessful bidders shall be returned immediately. The deposit submitted by the apparent successful bidder shall be held in a special account.

(b) If the highest bid received at an advertised sale is less than the appraised fair market value of the land, the Secretary with the consent of the owner may accept that bid if the amount bid approximates said appraised fair market value and in the Secretary's judgment is the highest price that may be realized in the circumstances.

(c) The Secretary shall award the bid and notify the apparent successful bidder that the remainder of the purchase price must be submitted within 30 days. (1) Upon a showing of cause the Secretary may, in his discretion, extend the time of payment of the balance due. (2) If the remainder of the purchase price is not paid within the time allowed, the bid will be rejected and the apparent successful bidder's 10 percent deposit will be forfeited to the landowner's use.

(d) The issuance of the patent or delivery of a deed to the purchaser will not be authorized until the balance of the purchase price has been paid, except that the fee patent may be ordered in cases where the purchaser is obtaining a loan from an agency of the Federal Government and such agency has given the Secretary a commitment that the balance of the purchase price will be paid when the fee patent is issued.

§ 121.29 Rejection of bids; disapproval of sale.

The Secretary reserves the right to reject any and all bids before the award, after the award, or at any time prior to the issuance of a patent or delivery of a deed, when he shall have determined such rejection to be in the best interests of the Indian owner.

§ 121.30 Bidding by employees.

Except as authorized by the provisions of Part 251 of this chapter, no

person employed in Indian Affairs shall directly or indirectly bid, make, or prepare any bid, or assist any bidder in preparing his bid. Sales between Indians, either of whom is an employee of the U.S. Government, are governed by the provisions of Part 251 of this chapter (see 25 U.S.C. 68 and 441).

§ 121.31 Cost of conveyance; payment.

Pursuant to the Act of February 14, 1920 (41 Stat. 415), as amended by the Act of March 1, 1933 (47 Stat. 1417; 25 U.S.C. 413), the Secretary may in his discretion collect from a purchaser reasonable fees for work performed or expense incurred in the transaction. The amount so collected shall be deposited to the credit of the United States as general fund receipts, except as stated in paragraph (b) of this section.

(a) (1) The amount of the fee shall be $22.50 for each transaction.

(2) The fee may be reduced to a lesser amount or may be waived, if the Secretary determines circumstances justify such action.

(b) (1) If any or all of the costs of the work performed or expenses incurred are paid with tribal funds, an alternate schedule of fees may be established, subject to approval of the Secretary, and that part of such fees deemed appropriate may be credited to the tribe.

(2) When the purchaser is the tribe which bears all or any part of such costs, the collection of the proportionate share from the tribe may be waived.

§ 121.32 Irrigation fee; payment.

Collection of all construction costs against any Indian-owned lands within Indian irrigation projects is deferred as long as Indian title has not been extinguished. (Act of July 1, 1932 (47 Stat. 564; 25 U.S.C. 386a).) This statute is interpreted to apply only where such land is owned by Indians either in trust or restricted status.

(a) When any person whether Indian or non-Indian acquires Indian lands in a fee simple status that are part of an Indian irrigation project he must enter into an agreement, (1) to

pay the pro rata share of the construction of the project chargeable to the land, (2) to pay all construction costs that accrue in the future, and (3) to pay all future charges assessable to the land which are based on the annual cost of operation and maintenance of the irrigation system.

(b) Any operation and maintenance charges that are delinquent when Indian land is sold will be deducted from the proceeds of sale unless other acceptable arrangements are made to provide for their payment prior to the approval of the sale.

(c) A lien clause covering all unpaid irrigation construction costs, past and future, will be inserted in the patent or other instrument of conveyance issued to all purchasers of restricted or trust lands that are under an Indian irrigation project.

CROSS-REFERENCE: See Part 128 and Part 129 and cross-references thereunder in this chapter for further regulations regarding sale of irrigable lands.

(a) Partition without application. If the Secretary of the Interior shall find that any inherited trust allotment or allotments (as distinguished from lands held in a restricted fee status or authorized to be sold under the Act of May 14, 1948 (62 Stat. 236; 25 U.S.C. 483)), are capable of partition in kind to the advantage of the heirs, he may cause such lands to be partitioned among them, regardless of their competency, patents in fee to be issued to the competent heirs for their shares and trust patents to be issued to the incompetent heirs for the lands respectively or jointly set apart to them, the trust period to terminate in accordance with the terms of the original patent or order of extension of the trust period set out in said patent. (Act of May 18, 1916 (39 Stat. 127; 25 U.S.C. 378).) The authority contained in the Act of May 18, 1916, is not applicable to lands authorized to be sold by the Act of May 14, 1948, nor to land held in restricted fee status.