Relating to the acquisition of title to abandoned property in the unincorporated area of a county

This bill relates to the acquisition of title to abandoned property in the unincorporated area of a county. Current law provides a process for a city to petition a district court to enter judgment awarding title to abandoned property in the city to the city when the property has been abandoned for at least six months.5 acres. The bill requires a city or county petitioning to acquire title to an abandoned property to include in a notice made to an owner, other named respondents, or the public a statement of the city’s or county’s intended use of the property or purpose for acquiring the property. The bill requires a county petitioning to acquire title to an abandoned property under the bill to submit to the court a plan to transfer title to the property to another entity no more than months after the court’s judgment and order awarding title to the property, and the court shall enforce such plan upon entering the judgment and order. The bill does not apply to a house, barn, outbuilding, or structure located on agricultural land outside the limits of a city. The bill defines the terms “county”, “agricultural land”, and “farming”. The bill makes conforming changes relating to the cancellation of a tax sale certificate for an abandoned property for which a city or county has acquired title.