Sovereign Land Management (North Dakota Century Code: Title 61 Waters; Chapter 61-33)

This Chapter of the North Dakota Century Code concerns sovereign land management. It provides that "sovereign lands" means those areas, including beds and islands, lying within the ordinary high water mark of navigable lakes and streams. It provides that all sovereign lands of the state must be administered by the state engineer and the board of university and school lands subject to the provisions of this chapter. Lands managed pursuant to this Chapter are not subject to leasing provisions found elsewhere in this Code. Further, the Chapter provides that there is created a sovereign lands advisory board. The board's responsibility is to advise the state engineer and the board of university and school lands on general policies as well as specific projects, programs, and uses regarding sovereign lands. The board, being solely advisory, has no authority to require the state engineer or the board of university and school lands to implement or otherwise accept the board's recommendations.