77.10 Withdrawal of forest croplands.

(1) Investigations, cancellations, conveyances.

(a) The department of natural resources shall on the application of the department of revenue or the owner of any forest croplands or the town board of the town in which said lands lie and may on its own motion at any time cause an investigation to be made and hearing to be had as to whether any forest croplands shall continue under this subchapter. If on such hearing after due notice to and opportunity to be heard by the department of revenue, the town and the owner, the department of natural resources finds that any such lands are not meeting the requirements set forth in s. 77.02 or that the owner has made use of the land for anything other than forestry or has failed to practice sound forestry on the land, the department of natural resources shall cancel the entry of such description and issue an order of withdrawal, and the owner shall be liable for the tax and penalty under sub. (2). Copies of the order of withdrawal specifying the description shall be filed by the department of natural resources with all officers designated to receive copies of the order of entry and withdrawal and this subchapter shall not thereafter apply to the lands withdrawn. If the owner shall not repay the amounts on or before the last day of February next succeeding the return of such lands to the general property tax roll as provided in sub. (4), the department of natural resources shall certify to the county treasurer the descriptions and the amounts due, and the county treasurer shall sell such lands as delinquent as described in s. 77.04 (2). Whenever any county clerk has certified to the taking of tax deed under s. 77.04 (2) the department of natural resources shall issue an order of withdrawal as to the lands covered in such tax deed. Such order may also be issued when examination of tax records reveals prolonged delinquency and noncompliance with the requirements of s. 77.04 (2).

(b) Whenever any owner of forest croplands conveys such land the owner shall, within 10 days of the date of the deed, file with the department of natural resources on forms prepared by the department a transfer of ownership signed by the owner and an acceptance of transfer signed by the grantee certifying that the grantee intends to continue the practice of forestry on such land. The department of natural resources shall immediately issue a notice of transfer to all officers designated to receive copies of orders of entry and withdrawal. Whenever a purchaser of forest croplands declines to certify his or her intention to continue the practice of forestry thereon, such action shall constitute cause for cancellation of entry under par. (a) without hearing.

(2) Election to withdraw lands.

(a)

1. Any owner of forest croplands may elect to withdraw all or any of such lands from under this subchapter, by filing with the department of natural resources a declaration withdrawing from this subchapter any description owned by such person which he or she specified, and by payment by such owner to the department of natural resources within 60 days the amount of tax due from the date of entry or the most recent date of renewal, whichever is later, as determined by the department of revenue under s. 77.04 (1) with simple interest thereon at 12 percent per year, less any severance tax and supplemental severance tax or acreage share paid thereon, with interest computed according to the rule of partial payments at the rate of 12 percent per year.

2. The amount of the tax shall be determined by the department of revenue and furnished to the department of natural resources, which shall determine the exact amount of payment. When the tax rate or assessed value ratio of the current year has not been determined the rate of the preceding tax year may be used. On receiving such payment the department of natural resources shall issue an order of withdrawal and file copies thereof with the department of revenue, the supervisor of equalization and the clerk of the town, and shall record the order with the register of deeds of the county, in which the land lies. The land shall then cease to be forest croplands.

(b) Upon receipt of any taxes under this section by the state, the department of natural resources shall first deduct all moneys paid by the state on account of the lands under s. 77.05 with interest on the moneys computed according to the rule of partial payments at the rate of interest paid under par. (a) by the person withdrawing such lands. The department shall within 20 days remit the balance to the town treasurer who shall pay 20 percent to the county treasurer and retain the remainder.

(c) Land subject to a contract under s. 77.03 that is withdrawn and the ownership of which is transferred to the federal government, the state or a local governmental unit, as defined in s. 66.0131 (1) (a), is not subject to the tax payment calculated under par. (a) if the land will be used for a public road, railroad, utility right-of-way, park, recreational trail, wildlife or fish habitat area or a public forest.

(4) Taxation after withdrawal. When any description ceases to be a part of the forest croplands, by virtue of any order of withdrawal issued by the department of natural resources, taxes thereafter levied thereon shall be payable and collectible as if such description had never been under this subchapter.

History: 1971 c. 215; 1975 c. 39 s. 734; 1977 c. 29, 201, 447; 1979 c. 110 s. 60 (13); 1983 a. 275 s. 15 (3); 1985 a. 332 s. 251 (2); 1987 a. 399; 1989 a. 79; 1991 a. 39, 316; 1993 a. 301; 1999 a. 150 s. 672; 2015 a. 358.