Verification of Landholdings

FORM 7-21VERIFY
2008 Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS FOR VERIFICATION OF LANDHOLDINGS
(For Certification and Reporting Requirements of the
Reclamation Reform Act of 1982)

(7-07)

Bureau of Reclamation
Do not use this form after December 31, 2008

OMB Control No.: 1006-0005

Paperwork Reduction Act
This information is being collected to establish landholder compliance with Federal reclamation law. Response to this request is mandatory in
accordance with Public Law 97-293 and 43 CFR 426.18. Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 12 minutes per response,
including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. An agency may not conduct
or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) control number. Direct comments regarding the burden estimated or any other aspect of these forms to Manager, Land
Resources Office, Code 84-53000, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, PO Box 25007, Denver CO 80225.

Trusts or estates must submit a “Declaration of Trust’s or
Estate’s Landholdings” (Form 7-21TRUST) if it attributes
some of its land subject to the acreage limitation provisions
to a class of beneficiaries. The submittal of
Form 7-21VERIFY is not acceptable for such trusts or
estates.

GENERAL INFORMATION
“General Information About RRA Forms” (Form 7-21INFO)
provides basic instructions on using Reclamation Reform Act
of 1982 (RRA) forms. Ask your district office for this form
each year to keep current. Refer to the definitions at the end
of Form 7-21INFO whenever the meaning of a term is not
clear to you. Please note, some terms such as “irrigable
land,” “irrigation land,” and “irrigation water” have special
definitions when used in these forms which differ from their
common meaning. Other terms and corresponding
definitions that are specific to the RRA forms are:

You may use Form 7-21VERIFY to identify a change in
operator if this is the only change since the most recently
submitted standard form. However, farm operators may not
use Form 7-21VERIFY to meet any applicable RRA forms
submittal requirement.

• “Land” or “acres” means irrigable or irrigation land.

Form 7-21VERIFY may also be used to identify extensions
and renewals of your annual leases, as long as the original
and new terms are each for 12 months or less and the
renewal or extension is the only change being made. Please
see item 5 below (on page 2) for further guidance regarding
annual leases. Form 7-21VERIFY cannot be used to identify
changes in any non-annual leases.

• “You” or “your” means all types of landholders -individuals, entities, religious or charitable organizations,
public entities, trusts, estates, etc.
• “We,” “us,” “our,” or “Reclamation” means the Bureau
of Reclamation.

You do not need to submit either a standard form or a
Form 7-21VERIFY if you hold land only indirectly (as a part
owner, beneficiary, trustee, or grantor), your landholdings
have not changed since the submittal of your last standard
form(s), and the information on your form(s) remains correct.
(Note: The direct landholder(s) must submit RRA forms
each year.)

Visit www.usbr.gov/rra for more information.

WHO MAY USE THIS FORM
You may use the “Verification of Landholdings”
(Form 7-21VERIFY) if the landholdings identified on your
most recently submitted standard form(s) have not changed
and the information on the standard form(s) remains correct.
You may use this form to verify your most recently
submitted “Designation of Excess Land” (Form 7-21XS) or
“Selection of Full-Cost Land” (Form 7-21FC) as long as
your landholdings have not changed and the information on
the form(s) remains correct. You may use this form to verify
a standard form(s) with a new Form 7-21FC as long as that is
the only information that is changing. However, if a new
Form 7-21XS is required, you may not use
Form 7-21VERIFY to verify any RRA forms.

WHERE TO SUBMIT FORMS
Submit this form to each district in which the land is held
(directly or indirectly owned or leased). You must submit
the original form to one district and may submit copies to the
others if you hold land in more than one district.

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IF LANDHOLDINGS CHANGE

Annual Lease Renewal or Annual Lease Extension

If your landholdings change during the water year, you must
notify all districts in which you hold land within 30 calendar
days after the change and submit new standard forms
within 60 calendar days after the change. These 30- and
60-day grace periods do not apply to a new landholder. A
new landholder must submit the appropriate standard forms
prior to the delivery of Reclamation irrigation water to your
land.

5.

For more information on landholding changes, see
Fact Sheet 11, which is available at your district office.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Complete this section only if you are renewing or
extending the length of an existing annual lease. For
RRA purposes, annual leases are only those that:
•

Have an effective term of 12 months or less,

•

Have either a clause requiring written
affirmative action be taken annually or a clause
providing for annual withdrawal opportunity
from the lease, and

•

The renewal or extension is for a term of
12 months or less.

You must submit a new standard RRA form(s) rather
than a verification form if you have changes to leases
(including any renewals or extensions of leases) that do
not meet all three of these criteria.

Type or print in ink all answers. You must initial and date
any crossouts and corrections. You may attach continuation
sheets to list information. Please contact your district office
or the appropriate Reclamation office if you have any
questions.

(a)

Name of the other party to the lease. Enter the
lessee’s name if you are the lessor. Enter the
lessor’s name if you are the lessee.

(b)

Effective date of the lease. Enter the effective
date as specified in that document if a new lease
document has been created. Enter the date the
new lease document was signed if no effective
date is specified in the new lease document.
Enter the effective date as specified in the
original lease document if the original lease
document is being extended or renewed. Enter
the date the original lease document was signed
if no effective date is specified in the original
lease document.

(c)

Length of the lease renewal or lease extension
(in months). This should be 12 months or less.
You must submit a new standard form(s) rather
than a verification form if the lease has been
renewed or extended for a period of time in
excess of 12 months.

(d)

Name of district in which the leased land is
located.

(e)

Provide an accurate legal description or an
assessor’s parcel number for each parcel of
leased land. Be sure to break down land parcels
as far as necessary to ensure accurate
identification.

ITEM BY ITEM INSTRUCTIONS
Identification of Previously Submitted Form(s)
1.

Check the box(es) corresponding to the RRA form(s)
that this form verifies, and enter the date the form(s)
was signed.

2.

On the line provided, enter the landholder’s name
exactly as it appears on the standard form(s) this form
verifies. Religious and charitable organizations must
provide its employer identification number if the
organization is verifying a standard form dated prior
to 1996.

Landholder Information
3.

4.

(a)

Enter your street address or rural route number,
city, state, and ZIP code. Your attorney's
address, relative's address, “c/o” address, etc., is
not acceptable in place of a street address. Post
office box numbers may be used only if no other
address exists.

(b)

Enter your mailing address if it is different from
your street address.

(a)

Enter the telephone number where questions can
be directed.

(b)

Enter the contact person’s name at that
telephone number.

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FORM 7-21VERIFY (2008)

Change in Operator
6.

Complete this section only if you are identifying a
change in operator under a farm operating
arrangement. (Form 7-21VERIFY cannot be used to
identify changes in lessees.)
(a)

Name of the previous operator farming the land
under the farm operating arrangement.

(b)

Name of the new operator farming the land
under the farm operating arrangement.

(c)

Name of district in which the land being farmed
under the farm operating arrangement is located.

(d)

Provide an accurate legal description or an
assessor's parcel number for each parcel of land
being farmed by the new operator. Be sure to
break down land parcels as far as necessary to
ensure accurate identification.

Signatures
7.

Read the attestation statements carefully and sign and
date the form in ink. Both you and your spouse, if
married, must sign this form. This requirement
applies even if the land is not jointly held. All
partners, joint tenants, or co-tenants must sign the
form if the landholder is a partnership, joint tenancy,
or tenancy-in-common. However, a written signature
authorization may be used to permit one spouse to
sign for the couple or to permit one natural person to
sign for the entity and a copy must be submitted to
each district the landholder submits RRA forms. All
trustees, administrators, or executors must sign this
form unless the trust or a power-of-attorney authorizes
one individual to sign for the trust or estate. The
district office must keep any such signature
authorizations on file.

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FORM 7-21VERIFY (2008)