Legal Definitions - government land

Definition: Land owned by the government, without regard to how the government acquired ownership. It includes unappropriated land belonging to the federal or state government.

Examples:

• Public land: Land or land interests held by the government, regardless of how the government acquired ownership. This includes unappropriated land belonging to the federal or state government.
• Acquired federal land: Federal land that was never in the public domain.
• Acquired land: Land acquired by the government from private hands or from another governmental entity. This includes property acquired by the federal government from private or state ownership.

These examples illustrate that government land can be acquired in various ways, including through purchase, exchange, gift, or condemnation. The government may also own different types of land, such as public land, which includes unappropriated land belonging to the federal or state government, and acquired federal land, which was never in the public domain.