§ 13-107. Adjudication of claims to abandoned lands

   (a) "Claimant" defined. -- In this section, "claimant" means a person who claims legal title to abandoned land for which a certificate of reservation for public use has been issued.

(b) Land patented prior to reservation for public use. -- If abandoned land was patented prior to the issuance of a certificate of reservation for public use by a unit of State government, a claimant may file a written claim for legal title to the land with the unit of State government that reserved the land for public use.

(c) Procedure where claim valid. -- If the unit of State government that reserved the land for public use determines that the claimant has legal title to the land, the unit of State government shall:

   (1) Pay the claimant fair market value for the land, as determined by the lower of two independent appraisals of the land; or

   (2) Notify the Commissioner that the land is no longer needed for public use.

(d) Approval by Board of Public Works. -- Any action taken by a unit of State government under subsection (c) of this section is subject to approval by the Board of Public Works.

(e) Denial of claim; action to quiet title. --

   (1) If a unit of State government that reserved land for public use determines that a claimant does not have legal title to the land, the unit of State government shall issue a written denial of the claimant's claim.

   (2) A claimant who is aggrieved by the denial of a claim under this section may file an action in the circuit court of the jurisdiction in which the land is located to quiet title to the land.

(f) Limitation of actions. -- A claim under this section is barred unless the claimant files the claim within 20 years after the date that the unit of State government obtains a certificate of reservation for public use of the land.

HISTORY: 2003, ch. 334.