Form 2520-1 Desert Land Entry Application

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Form 2520-l
(November 2018)

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UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

FORM APPROVED
OMB NO. 1004-0004
Expires: September 30, 2021

Serial Number

DESERT LAND ENTRY APPLICATION

Address (include zip code)

1. Name (first, middle initial, last)
Email

Phone Number

hereby applies to enter, under the Desert Land Act for the purpose of reclaiming the lands by permanent irrigation
and cultivation within four (4) years from allowance of this application, the public lands described as follows:
TOWNSHIP

RANGE

SECTION

MERIDIAN

State of
2.

SUBDIVISION

containing a total of

acres

Enclose filing fee of $15 plus advance payment of 25¢ per acre, or fraction thereof $
Total $

3a. Are you at least 21 years old?

Yes

No

b. Of what State are you a bona fide resident?
c. Are you a citizen of the United States?

Yes

No

If naturalized give: Date
in (city and state)

in the Court of

d. If not a citizen, have you filed a Declaration of Intention to become a citizen of the United States?
Yes
No (If “ yes,” attach full details)
e. Are you an employee, the spouse, or an agent of an employee of the Department of the Interior?
4a. Have you made any other application under the Desert Land Act?
serial number)

Yes

b. Have you ever received by assignment any lands under the Desert Land Act?
office and serial number)

Yes

No (If “yes,” give office and

Yes

No (If “yes,” give

c. Have you entered, acquired title, or are you now claiming an entry under any of the nonmineral public land laws
since August 30, 1890?
Yes
No (If “yes,” state total number of acres)

5.

Have you made a personal on-the-ground examination of every legal subdivision of the above described land?
Yes
No

(Continued on page 2)

No

6a.

Have you, or to your knowledge has any other person, ever worked any of the subdivision for minerals?
(If “yes,” give details)
Yes
No

b. Are these lands within any mining claim or other claim of record under the United States mining laws or the mining
Yes
(If “yes,” give details)
laws of the State?
No

c. Do you know of any vein or lode of quartz or other rocks in place, bearing gold, silver, cinnabar, lead, tin, or
copper, or any deposit of coal, placer deposits, other valuable mineral deposits, salt deposit, or salt springs?
(If “yes,” specify)
Yes
No

7a. Is this application for lands that will produce cultivated crops without application of water for irrigation?
Yes
No
Yes

b. Do the lands in their natural state produce enough native grass for cutting of hay?

No

c. Are the lands applied for occupied or improved by yourself or any other person, association, or corporation?
Yes
No
(If “yes,” specify)

9.

Show in the chart below the soil characteristics of each subdivision (see specific instructions)

SECTION

LEGAL
SUBDIVISION

(1)

(2)

(Continued on page 3)

CHARACTER
OF SURFACE

TEXTURE

DEPTH OF
TOP SOIL

RELATIVE
SALINITY
OR
ALKALINITY

CHARACTER
OF SUBSOIL

ACRES
IRRIGABLE

Are the lands applied for irrigated or watered, or overflowed at any season of the year?
Yes
No
(If “yes,” specify)

SLOPE IN
PERCENT

8.

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(Form 2520-1, page 2)

Name (first, middle initial, last)
10.

Serial Number

Complete the items below concerning irrigation requirements

ACRES

b. Type of crop
to be grown

a. Total acreage irrigable

c. Water requirements per acre (state whether in miners inches, gallons/minute, or cubic feet/second)

d. Source of water (e.g., well, river, irrigation district, water company; give name of organization)

e. Well data:
(1) Depth of static water

feet

(2) Diameter

inches

(3) Completed cost

dollars

(4) Pump requirement

horsepower

(5) Type of pump

f.

(6) Cost of pump

dollars

Cost of sprinkler system (mainlines, laterals, heads, etc.)

dollars

g. Costs of levelling, ditches, and canals

dollars

h. Costs of other installations (e.g., river pump stations, penstocks)

dollars
11. Attach a complete plan of irrigation that shows at least the following:
a. Map showing location of lands applied for by legal description, and an accurate detailed diagram of the entire
proposed irrigation system to be used in the permanent reclamation and production of agricultural crops in this
proposed entry.
b. Topography, shown by contour interval of 10 feet or less, if a gravity irrigation system is planned.
c. Location and source of permanent water supply, including the type, size, dimensions, and location of all facilities
for transporting the water from its source to the lands, such as, river pump stations, penstocks, pipelines,
holding ponds, etc.
d. Location, type, size, and gradient in percent, of any water distribution ditches and laterals necessary to irrigate
all irrigable portions of each legal subdivision adequately.
e. Location, type, size, and dimensions of all other installations necessary for the irrigation of the lands, such as,
sprinkler systems, mainlines, etc.
12a. Is there adequate water supply of suitable quality available to you for the irrigation of all the irrigable portions
of the lands applied for?
Yes
No
b. Have you proceeded as far as possible toward acquiring by appropriation, purchase, or contract, a right to the
permanent use of sufficient water to irrigate and reclaim permanently all of the irrigable portions of each of the
Yes
legal subdivisions applied for?
No (If “yes,” you must present as evidence and make a part of
this application copies of any committments you may have, which show the legal source of your proposed water
supply)

(Continued on page 4)

(Form 2520-1, page 3)

Yes

13a. Is reclamation and permanent cultivation of the lands in this application economically sound?

No

b. Complete and make a part of this application an estimated farm budget showing annual costs and returns that
would be involved in the permanent reclamation and cultivation of the lands in this application. Include at least
the following items:
Estimated Annual Production Costs:
Farm automobiles and trucks*
Machinery and tractors*
Irrigation system*
Farm buildings, fences, and other improvements in operation of farm, not
including irrigation system and residence*
Seed, fertilizer, herbicides, insecticides
Water costs
Cash wages to hired labor
Interest on borrowed money (such as short term or operational loans)
Taxes (personal such as on machinery and equipment)
Cost of marketing (trucking, storage, treatment, etc.)
Other - Itemize (insurance, custom machine hire)
TOTAL ANNUAL COSTS

$ 0.00

Estimated Annual Income
Crop:

Acres of
Production

X

Units
Per Acre**

X

Price
Per Unit

=

X

X

=

$ 0.00

X

X

=

$ 0.00

X

X

=

$ 0.00

X

X

=

$ 0.00

X

X

=

$ 0.00

X

X

=

$ 0.00

TOTAL ANNUAL INCOME

Estimated Annual Net Income (total annual income less total annual costs)
c.

$

Are the lands in this application accessible to a farm produce market?
(If “yes,” attach a brief explanation to this application)

d. Does it show the initial and continuing annual operations and production costs?

Yes

$

0.00

$

0.00

No
Yes

No

*Annual costs of operation, including depreciation, maintenance and interests
**Bushels, cwt., tons, etc.

(Continued on page 5)

(Form 2520-1, page 4)

14.

If any subdivisions of the lands of this application are noncontiguous, or do not lie in as compact a form as
possible, attach and make a part of this application an explanation of the economic feasibility of farming all the
lands, applied for as an economic unit.

15.

If you had assistance in completing this application, give the following information:
NAME AND ADDRESS

ASSISTANCE GIVEN

DATE

16. If the lands described in this application have not been classified as suitable for desert entry pursuant to the
provisions of Section 7, of the Taylor Grazing Act of June 28, 1934, as amended, (43 U.S.C. 315F) and the requirements of the regulations in 43 CFR Part 2400, please consider the application as a petition for such classification.
17. Attach a statement or declaration explaining in detail all arrangements that you have made or that you plan to
make with regard to financing, irrigation, reclamation, or cultivation of the lands for which you are applying.
I CERTIFY That all of the statements made by me in this application and the attachments submitted as a part of this
application are true, complete, and correct to the best of my knowledge based upon my personal examination of the
lands applied for, and other investigations which I have personally made; that the statements which I have made in
this application are made in good faith; and that they have not been made for me by any agent or representative.

(Date)

(Signature of Applicant)

Title 18 U.S.C., Section 1001, makes it a crime for any person knowingly and willfully to make to any department or agency of the
United States any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations as to any matter within its jurisdiction.

CAUTION TO APPLICANTS
Land Locators and Land filing Services are in no way
connected with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management
and they cannot make any commitments or promises for
the Bureau regarding the Federal lands or resources
administered by the Bureau. Therefore, if you have
consulted, or are filing your application through a Land
Locator or Filing Service it may be to your advantage
to check with a local Better Business Bureau, Chamber
of Commerce, or similar organization to ascertain that
the individual or firm you are dealing with is reliable and
does not charge excessive fees for services rendered.

(Continued on page 6)

(Form 2520-1, page 5)

UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
STATEMENT OF WITNESS

I, Name (first, middle initial, last) and Address (include zip code)

certify that I am well acquainted with the character of each and every legal subdivision or portion of the land described in the foregoing application, which said application has been read to me; that I became acquainted with said
land by personal and careful examination of each and every legal subdivision or portion thereof on (date(s) of last
examination)

, 20

; that I have been acquainted with it for about

years,

that my knowledge of the land is such as to enable me to testify understandingly concerning it; that same is desert,
nonmineral land; and that each and every statement made by applicant in the foregoing application as to the condition,
character, and situation of said land is true of my own personal knowledge; and I further state that I am not interested,
in any way or manner, directly or indirectly, present or prospective, in the applications in support of which this statement is made, nor in the land itself, nor in any title thereto which may be acquired by said applicant or any other
person, and that I signed this statement in the land district in which the above-described land is located.

(Date)

(Signature of Witness)

Title 18 U.S.C, Section 1001, makes it a crime for any person knowingly and willfully to make to any department or agency of the
United States any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations as to any matter within its jurisdiction.

(Continued on page 7)

(Form 2520-1, page 6)

UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
STATEMENT OF WITNESS

I, Name (first, middle initial, last) and Address (include zip code)

certify that I am well acquainted with the character of each and every legal subdivision or portion of the land described in the foregoing application, which said application has been read to me; that I became acquainted with said
land by personal and careful examination of each and every legal subdivision or portion thereof on (date(s) of last
examination)

, 20

; that I have been acquainted with it for about

years,

that my knowledge of the land is such as to enable me to testify understandingly concerning it; that same is desert,
nonmineral land; and that each and every statement made by applicant in the foregoing application as to the condition,
character, and situation of said land is true of my own personal knowledge; and I further state that I am not interested,
in any way or manner, directly or indirectly, present or prospective, in the applications in support of which this statement is made, nor in the land itself, nor in any title thereto which may be acquired by said applicant or any other
person, and that I signed this statement in the land district in which the above-described land is located.

(Date)

(Signature of Witness)

Title 18 U.S.C, Section 1001, makes it a crime for any person knowingly and willfully to make to any department or agency of the
United States any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or representations as to any matter within its jurisdiction.

(Continued on page 8)

(Form 2520-1, page 7)

GENERAL

INSTRUCTIONS

1. This form is to be used in applying for desert entry on
public lands under the Desert Land Act of March 3, 1877,
as amended.
2. This application and all attachments must be filed in the
proper Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Office for the State in
which the lands are located. The application must be filed
and received in the proper BLM Office within ten (10) days
from the date it is executed, otherwise, it will not gain any
priority of filing, cannot be accepted, and will be rejected.
Applications for lands in North Dakota and South Dakota
should be filed in the BLM Office in Billings, Montana.
3. This application for desert entry must be original and
prepared on a typewriter or printed plainly and signed in
ink or indelible pencil. If additional space is needed in
furnishing any of the required information, it should be
prepared on additional sheets, initialed, and attached and
made a part of this application.

SPECIFIC

4. Where questions indicate that an answer can be made by
check mark, the applicant should fill in these spaces
where applicable.
5. The application and statements of witnesses must be
signed and filed in the proper BLM State Office in which
the land is located.
6. The statements on this form must be completed and
executed by each of two (2) competent witnesses. The
use of immediate members of the applicant’s family or
other relatives as witnesses is discouraged because of
the question of conflict of interest that may arise.
NOTE: The mere filing of an application confers no right
upon the applicant to settle upon or occupy the land.
Any such unauthorized settlement or occupancy prior
to the allowance of the entry by the Government constitutes a Trespass. The applicant may, however,
go upon and examine the land for the purpose of
determining the facts needed in connection with the
application.

INSTRUCTIONS

(Items not listed are self-explanatory)
Item
1

Show complete name and full post office address, including zip code. Note: The applicant must inform the
proper BLM Office immediately of any change of address.

2

A filing fee of $15 is required with each application. In
addition, an advance payment of 25¢ per acre, or fraction of an acre is required.

3b

The applicant must be a bona fide resident of the State
in which the land applied for is located, except as to the
lands in Nevada, where the qualification as to citizenship is that of the United States without regard to State
of residence.
Indicate proper citizenship status. Non-citizens are not
qualified to make application unless a formal declaration
of intention to become a citizen has been filed.

3c

8

If there is any spring or water hole on the lands applied
for, state the exact location and size thereof, and give
an estimate of the quantity of water in gallons per day
which it is capable of producing. State any other information about the spring or water hole which would be
helpful in determining whether its use is beneficial or
necessary for the grazing of domestic livestock. State
also if the spring is a hot spring or if its waters contain
curative properties (Executive Orders April 17, 1926 and July 7,
1930).

9

Column 1 – Indicate section or sections of land applied
for opposite the appropriate legal subdivisions within
the section as listed in column 2.
Column 2 – Each legal subdivision must be listed sepaEach legal subdivision means each quarterrately.
quarter section of 40 acres, or each designated lot as
shown on the plat of survey of the section.
Column 3 – Indicate, by percentage, the general slope
of each legal subdivision. If portions of the subdivision are substantially different than the greater portion,

(Continued on page 9)

Item

10

list and describe them separately. A topographic map
may be submitted as an attachment and made a part of
the application if desired by the applicant as a means
of showing more clearly the slopes of the lands applied
for. If a topographic map is submitted the contour
interval should be no greater than 10 feet.
Column 4 – Indicate the general surface conditions such
as level, slightly rolling, rolling, rough, etc.
Column 5 – Indicate the general texture or physical
properties of the soil. General terms such as silt,
sandy, loam, clay, gravel, etc., or a combination of
these terms will adequately describe the texture of the
soil.
Column 6 – Indicate the average or a representative
depth of top soil in inches. Numerous soil samples may
be required to obtain a good representative sample.
Location of each soil sample, and depth of top soil
should be shown on an attached soils map.
Column 7 – Indicate, by general descriptive terms such
as negligible, slight, moderate, or critical, the salinity
or alkalinity of the area. If portions of each subdivision
are substantially different from the remaining portions
list separately. Indicate the smaller subdivisions under
column 2.
Column 8 – Indicate the character of the subsoil. A
description of subsoil character may require several
soil samples. This information can be obtained while
measuring the depth of the topsoil as required under
column 6. General descriptive terms, such as gravel,
hardpan, sand, clay hardpan, etc., may be used.
Column 9 – Indicate total irrigable acres for each legal
subdivision.
Line (c) – Indicate the water requirements for economic
agricultural crop production. Base this requirement on
item 9 and other factors, such as evaporation loss, soil
permeability, etc. A good source for this type of information is the local County Extension Agent’s Office and
the Soil Conservation Service Office serving the area.

(Form 2520-1, page 8)

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS (Con.)
Item

11

Line (d) - Indicate the source of water; well, spring,
canal, etc. If the source of water is a well, complete
lines (e)(1) through (e)(6); otherwise show, in detail,
source, quantity, and dependability of water on attachment
required under item 11.
Line (e)(2) - Indicate the diameter of proposed well that
will insure delivering the water required for irrigation
of all irrigable lands in the entry during the average
irrigation season and the average irrigation periods.
Line (e)(3) - Indicate the anticipated total cost of the
well Include drilling, casing, etc., costs. Do not include pump and power costs.
Line (e)(5) - Indicate type of pump, electrical, gas,
etc. Manufacturer’s name and number can be shown.
Line (e)(6) - Indicate total cost of pump, power supply,
and pumping facilities.
Line (h) - If the proposed entry is to be developed
through an association with other applicants for a common water delivery system, the cost must show the
applicant’s share of the joint costs for construction and
operation of the common system.
A detailed and accurate map must be prepared and attached showing the complete irrigation plan for the
entire entry. The map should illustrate and identify
those portions of the proposed entry that cannot be irrigated
or cultivated because of the rough, rocky, etc.,
character of the land.

12b Documents indicating the acquisition of a water right
may consist of a certified copy of a court decree, a
deed, or other title instrument, or a contract, by which
the applicant holds the right to acquire such deed or
other title instrument. The document or documents must
show that the right would be a permanent right to sufficient water to irrigate and reclaim all of the irragable

(Continued on page 10)

Item

portions of each of the legal subdivisions applied for.
Applicant must submit plausible presumptive evidence
that an adequate water supply is available.

13b Complete and make a part of this application an estimated Farm budget which clearly shows the economic
feasibility of the proposed entry. This Farm budget
must show the initial and continuing annual production
costs and income that would be expected in permanent
reclamation and cultivation of the lands in this application.
For estimating annual production costs of machinery,
equipment, buildings, and improvements use only that
portion of these costs contributing to reclamation and
permanent cultivation of the lands included in this
application. Do not include capitalized costs or purchase costs of equipment or other improvements.
14

Submit this information only if the entry is not compact
as possible or if all the legal subdivisions are not
contiguous. “Not Contiguous” means not having a
common boundary.

17

Furnish as a separate attachment to this application a
full disclosure explaining in full detail all plans, made
either independently or by agreements or arrangements
with other persons or parties, for the financing and
actual development, irrigation, cultivation, and farming
of the lands in the entry you are applying for. This
statement must explain all oral and written arrangements
and prepared arrangements known to you, or known to
others acting on your behalf. If such exist, submit with
the statement a copy of each item, formal or informal,
whether or not it has been signed or adopted. The
statement does not have to follow any particular form, but
it must be typewritten.

(Form 2520-1, page 9)

NOTICES
The Privacy Act of 1974 and the regulation in 43 CFR 2.48(d) provide that you be furnished the following
information in connection with information required by this Desert Land Entry Application and Statement of
Witness.
AUTHORITY: 43 U.S.C. 321-323, 325, 327-329.
PRINCIPAL PURPOSE: The information is to be used to process the application for a Desert Land Entry.
ROUTINE USES: (1) The adjudication of the applicant’s rights to the land or resources. (2) Documentation for
public information in support of notations made on land status records for the management, disposal, and use of
public lands and resources. (3) Transfer to the appropriate Federal agencies when concurrence is required prior to
granting a right in public lands or resources. (4)(5) Information from the record and/or the record will be transferred
to appropriate Federal, State, local or foreign agencies; when relevant to civil, criminal or regulatory investigations
or prosecutions.
EFFECT OF NOT PROVIDING INFORMATION: Disclosure of the information is required to obtain or retain a benefit.
If all the information is not provided, additional information may be obtained from other sources or the application may be
rejected.
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 requires us to inform you that:
BLM collects information to process your request for Federal lands under the provisions of the Desert Land Act
Regulations, found in 43 CFR Section 2520.
Response to this request is required to obtain or retain a benefit, see 43 CFR Subpart 2521.2.
BLM would like you to know that you do not have to respond to this or any other Federal agency-sponsored
information collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
BURDEN HOURS STATEMENT: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 2 hours per
response, including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering, and maintaining data, and completing and
reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this form to U.S.
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (1004-0004), Bureau Information Collection Clearance
Officer (WO-630), 1849 C Street, N.W., Mail Stop 401 LS, Washington, D.C. 20240.

(Form 2520-1, page 10)