Pennsylvania Act 1933-165 — AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF LAND

Act text

AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE OF LAND
                  Act of May 22, 1933, P.L. 907, No. 165              Cl. 32
                                  AN ACT

     Empowering the Department of Forests and Waters and the Board of
        Game Commissioners to purchase, in the name of the
        Commonwealth, seated and unseated lands at tax sales held by
        county treasurers; providing for and regulating the payment
        of the purchase price and redemptions in such cases; and
        providing for the payment of State charges on such lands.

        Compiler's Note:  Section 302(h) of Act 18 of 1995, which
            created the Department of Conservation and Natural
            Resources and renamed the Department of Environmental
            Resources as the Department of Environmental Protection,
            provided that the Department of Conservation and Natural
            Resources shall exercise the powers and duties conferred
            upon the Department of Forests and Waters by Act 165 of
            1933.
        Section 1.  Be it enacted, &c., That the Department of
     Forests and Waters and the Board of Game Commissioners are
     hereby authorized to purchase, in the name of the Commonwealth,
     seated or unseated lands at any tax sale held by any county
     treasurer when it is deemed advantageous for the Commonwealth to
     acquire such lands for State forest purposes for reforestation
     or for game purposes.
        Section 2.  Whenever any such lands shall be purchased at a
     county treasurer's sale, the Department of Forests and Waters or
     Board of Game Commissioners shall, as soon as the title to said
     tracts of land has the approval of the Department of Justice,
     pay to the county treasurer the amount of taxes, penalties and
     interest due on such lands and the costs attached to said sale.
     No provision of any law requiring payment of taxes, penalties,
     interest and costs when the property is struck down shall be
     deemed to apply to the purchases provided for in this act.
        Section 3.  During the two year period while such property
     purchased by the Department of Forests and Waters or the Board
     of Game Commissioners is subject to redemption, and, after said
     period, in case the lands are not redeemed, the Department of
     Forests and Waters or the Board of Game Commissioners shall pay
     annually to the county, township, and school district in which
     such lands are located the same charges on said lands as are
     required by law to be paid on State forest and State game lands;
     and in case said lands are not redeemed within the period
     required by law and title becomes vested in the Commonwealth,
     all taxes charged against said lands subsequent to those for
     which said lands were sold are hereby abated.
        Where said lands are not redeemed within the time required by
     law, the Department of Forests and Waters or Board of Game
     Commissioners shall, after the expiration of the redemption
     period, pay to the county treasurer, for the use of the owner of
     said lands, the difference between the amount bid and the amount
     theretofore paid for taxes, penalties, interest and costs. The
     Department of Forests and Waters and the Board of Game
     Commissioners shall not be required, as in the case of
     individual purchasers, to file a surplus bond for the difference
     between the amount bid and the amount paid subsequent to such
     sale.
        Section 4.  In the case of the redemption of said lands, the
     person redeeming the same shall, in addition to the amount
     required to be paid to the county treasurer for taxes,
     penalties, interest and costs, also pay to the Department of
     Forests and Waters or the Board of Game Commissioners the full
     amount paid by said department or board as charges on such lands
     for county, township, and school purposes. No county treasurer
     shall mark such lands redeemed until the person redeeming the
     same exhibits a receipt from the Commonwealth showing that such
     charges have been repaid in full.
        No provision of law requiring the person redeeming such lands
     to pay to the county treasurer twenty-five per centum (25%)
     additional to the taxes, penalties, interest and costs shall
     apply to purchases of lands made by the Department of Forests
     and Waters or Board of Game Commissioners, as provided in this
     act.
        Section 5.  Upon the redemption of any such lands, the amount
     paid to the county treasurer for taxes, penalties, interest and
     costs by the person redeeming such lands shall be for the use of
     the Commonwealth, and shall, immediately upon receipt, be
     transmitted by the county treasurer to the Department of Forests
     and Waters for payment into the State Treasury, through the
     Department of Revenue, and to the Board of Game Commissioners
     for deposit in the Game Fund.
        Section 6.  This act shall become effective immediately upon
     final enactment.
        Section 7.  All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with the
     provisions of this act are hereby repealed.