479.46 Determination of installation damages.

1. The county board of supervisors shall determine when installation of a pipeline has been completed in that county for the purposes of this section. Not less than ninety days after the completion of installation, and if an agreement cannot be made as to damages, a landowner whose land was affected by the installation of the pipeline or a pipeline company may file with the board of supervisors a petition asking that a compensation commission determine the damages arising from the installation of the pipeline.

2. a. If the board of supervisors by resolution approves the petition, the landowner or pipeline company shall commence the proceeding by filing an application with the chief judge of the judicial district of the county for the appointment of a compensation commission as provided in section 6B.4.

b. The application shall contain the following:

(1) The name and address of the applicant and a description of the land on which the damage is claimed to have occurred.

(2) A description of the nature of the damage claimed to have occurred and the amount of the damage claimed.

(3) The name and address of the pipeline company claimed to have caused the damage or the name and address of the affected landowner.

3. a. After the commissioners have been appointed, the applicant shall serve notice on the pipeline company or the landowner stating the following:

(1) That a compensation commission has been appointed to determine the damages caused by the installation of the pipeline.

(2) The name and address of the applicant and a description of the land on which the damage is claimed to have occurred.

(3) The date, time, and place when the commissioners will view the premises and proceed to appraise the damages and that the pipeline company or the landowner may appear before the commissioners.

b. If more than one landowner petitions the county board of supervisors, the application to the chief judge, notice to the pipeline company, and appraisement of damages shall be consolidated into one application, notice, and appraisement. The county attorney may assist in coordinating the consolidated application and notice, but does not become an attorney for the landowners by doing so.

4. The commissioners shall view the land at the time provided in the notice and assess the damages sustained by the landowner by reason of the installation of the pipeline and they shall file their report with the sheriff. The appraisement of damages returned by the commissioners is final unless appealed. After the appraisement of damages has been delivered to the sheriff by the compensation commission, the sheriff shall give written notice by ordinary mail to the pipeline company and the landowner of the date the appraisement of damages was made, the amount of the appraisement, and that any interested party may appeal to the district court within thirty days of the date of mailing. The sheriff shall endorse the date of mailing of notice on the original appraisement of damages. At the time of appeal, the appealing party shall give written notice to the adverse party or the party’s attorney and the sheriff.

5. Chapter 6B applies to this section to the extent it is applicable and consistent with this section.

6. The pipeline company shall pay all costs of the assessment made by the commissioners and reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred by the landowner as determined by the commissioners if the award of the commissioners exceeds one hundred ten percent of the final offer of the pipeline company prior to the determination of damages. The pipeline company shall file with the sheriff an affidavit setting forth the most recent offer made to the landowner. Commissioners shall receive a per diem of fifty dollars and actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties. The pipeline company shall also pay all costs occasioned by the appeal, including reasonable attorney fees to be taxed by the court, unless on the trial of the appeal the same or a lesser amount of damages is awarded than was allowed by the commission from which the appeal was taken.

7. As used in this section, “damages” means compensation for damages to the land, crops, and other personal property caused by the construction activity of installing a pipeline and its attendant structures but does not include compensation for a property interest, and “landowner” includes a farm tenant.

8. The provisions of this section do not apply if the easement provides for any other means of negotiation or arbitration.

[81 Acts, ch 159, §2, 8]

95 Acts, ch 192, §17; 2000 Acts, ch 1179, §26, 30; 2011 Acts, ch 25, §143; 2018 Acts, ch 1160, §27

Referred to in §479.42

Subsection 6 amended