(1) A petition for the incorporation of such a district may be submitted to the board of supervisors of the county, signed by not less than twenty-five (25) owners of real property residing within the boundaries of the proposed district. Such petition shall include: (a) a statement of the necessity for the proposed district to establish legally recognized boundaries solely for fire protection grading purposes; (b) the proposed corporate name for the district; and (c) the proposed boundaries of the district.

Such petition shall be signed in person by the petitioners, with their respective residence addresses, and shall be accompanied by a sworn statement of the person or persons circulating the petition, who shall state under oath that he or they witnessed the signature of each petitioner, that each signature is the signature of the person it purports to be, and that, to the best of his or their knowledge, each petitioner was at the time of signing an owner of real property within and a resident of the proposed district.

The board of supervisors of a county, in its discretion, may initiate the incorporation of a district by resolution of the board and presentation of a petition signed by at least twenty-five (25) property owners of the area to be incorporated if at least forty (40) property owners reside within the district.

(2) With respect to the incorporation of a fire protection grading district in accordance with Sections 19-5-215 through 19-5-241, the word “owners” shall include any lessees of real property the term of whose original lease is not less than sixty (60) years and shall also include sublessees if the original lease of which they are subletting is not less than sixty (60) years.