Idaho § 40-204A - Federal land rights-of-way

§ 40-204A. Federal land rights-of-way

(1) The state recognizes that the act of construction and first use constitute the acceptance of the grant given to the public for federal land rights-of-way, and that once acceptance of the grant has been established, the grant shall be for the perpetual term granted by the congress of the United States.

(2) The only method for the abandonment of these rights-of-way shall be that of eminent domain proceedings in which the taking of the public’s right to access shall be justly compensated. Neither the mere passage of time nor the frequency of use shall be considered a justification for considering these rights-of-way to have been abandoned.

(3) All of the said rights-of-way shall be shown by some form of documentation to have existed prior to the withdrawal of the federal grant in 1976 or to predate the removal of land through which they transit from the public domain for other public purposes. Documentation may take the form of a map, an affidavit, surveys, books or other historic information.

(4) These rights-of-way shall not require maintenance for the passage of vehicular traffic, nor shall any liability be incurred for injury or damage through a failure to maintain the access or to maintain any highway sign. These rights-of-way shall be traveled at the risk of the user and may be maintained by the public through usage by the public.

(5) Any member of the public, the state of Idaho and any of its political subdivisions, and any agency of the federal government may choose to seek validation of its rights under law to use granted rights-of-way either through a process set forth by the state of Idaho, through processes set forth by any federal agency or by proclamation of user rights granted under the provisions of the original act, Revised Statute 2477.

Persons seeking to have a federal land right-of-way, including those which furnish public access to state and federal public lands and waters, validated as a highway or public right-of-way as part of a county or highway official highway system, shall follow the procedure outlined in section 40-203A , Idaho Code.

Neither the granting of the original right-of-way nor any provision in this or any other state act shall be construed as a relinquishment of either federal ownership or management of the surface estate of the property over which the right-of-way passes.

(6) Persons seeking acknowledgement of federal land rights-of-way shall file with the county recorder the request for acknowledgement and for any supporting documentation. The county recorder shall record acknowledgements, including supporting documentation, and maintain an appropriate index of same.

[40-204A, added 1993, ch. 142, sec. 3, p. 376; am. 2000, ch. 251, sec. 4, p. 714.]