Idaho § 42-248

§ 42-248.

Notification of change in ownership of a water right or change of address of a water right owner - Notice of action affecting a water right. (1) All persons owning or claiming ownership of a right to use the water of this state, whether the right is represented by decree of the court, by claim to a water right filed with the department of water resources or by permit or license issued by the director of the department, shall provide notice to the department of any change in ownership of any part of the water right or of any change in the owner’s mailing address. Notice shall be provided within one hundred twenty (120) days of any change using forms acceptable to the director.

(2) The department may rely on the name and address of the owner of the water right shown in the records of the department when sending notice of any action related to that water right.

(3) The filing of an application to change a water right under the provisions of section 42-211 or section 42-222 , Idaho Code, showing a change in address of the owner of the right or accompanied by evidence documenting any change in ownership of the water right, shall be deemed compliance with this section provided the requirements of subsections (5) and (6) of this section are met. The fee requirements of subsection (4) of this section shall apply in addition to the filing fee that may be required in connection with an application to change a water right under the provisions of section 42-211 or 42-222 , Idaho Code.

(4) A filing fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per right shall accompany a notice of change of water right ownership, provided that the fee shall be one hundred dollars ($100) per right if a request is made to change the department’s records to reflect a division in the ownership of the water right. No fee is required for a notice of change of ownership of a claim pending in a water rights adjudication. A notice of change of ownership of all or part of a water right not accompanied by the required filing fee is incomplete and shall be returned without processing to the person who submitted the notice.

(5) A notice of change of water right ownership of all or part of a water right shall be accompanied by deeds, court decrees, or other evidence of conveyance of the water right and how the water right is divided if the change divides the water right among multiple owners.

(6) If the person filing the notice of a change of water right ownership does not own the land identified as the place of use for the water right, the notice shall be accompanied by evidence that written notice of the change of water right ownership has been mailed or hand-delivered to the landowner of record, as identified in the records of the county recorder.

(7) If the department receives the required notice, fee, and satisfactory evidence of conveyance of the water right as required in subsection (5) of this section, and evidence that the notice requirements of subsection (6) of this section, if applicable, have been met, the department shall update the ownership information in the water right records maintained by the department. If any required information is not provided, the department shall return the notice of change of ownership to the person filing the notice.

(8) Any action by the department updating the ownership of a water right in the department’s records or returning the notice of change of ownership to the person filing the notice is not a determination of water right ownership, is not an administrative action subject to challenge under the Idaho administrative procedure act, chapter 52, title 67 , Idaho Code, and is not subject to a request for hearing pursuant to section 42-1701A , Idaho Code. Water right ownership disputes arising from a notice of change of water right ownership under this section must be resolved either in a water rights adjudication or in an action to quiet title pursuant to section 6-401 , Idaho Code.

(9) Any person having a security interest in a water right and desiring to be notified by the department regarding the filing of a change in ownership of that water right or of any proposed or final action to amend, transfer or otherwise modify that water right shall make the request upon a form provided by the department accompanied by a fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per right. The request shall be accompanied by evidence of the security interest including the expiration date of the security interest or other date defining the end of the period for which notification is requested. The request for notification shall expire at the end of the requested notification period unless renewed on a form provided by the department and accompanied by a renewal fee of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per right. The holder of a security interest requesting notification under this subsection shall provide notice to the department within sixty (60) days if the security interest is terminated prior to the end of the requested notification period.

[42-248, added 1996, ch. 149, sec. 1, p. 487; am. 2000, ch. 313, sec. 1, p. 1052; am. 2011, ch. 172, sec. 2, p. 493; am. 2021, ch. 157, sec. 1, p. 433.]