{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-277.25","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 82, § 82-277.25","heading":"Reclassification of land - Procedure","body":"A. The reclassification of land within any irrigation district\n\nnow or hereafter organized under the provisions of the Oklahoma\n\nIrrigation District Act, may be changed in the manner prescribed by\n\nthis section. Such reclassification shall not impair or affect the\n\nirrigation district's organization, or its rights in or to property\n\nor any of its rights or privileges of whatsoever kind or nature, nor\n\nshall it affect, impair or discharge any contract, obligation, lien\n\nor charge for or upon which it or the owner of lands therein were or\n\nmight become liable or chargeable had such reclassification not been\n\nmade.\n\nB. The holder or holders of title or evidence of title of any\n\nbody of land situated within the boundaries of any irrigation\n\ndistrict, may file with the board a petition in writing, requesting\n\nthat such land be reclassified. The petition shall describe the\n\ntracts or body of land owned by the petitioners. The petition shall\n\nbe deemed to give the assent of the petitioners to the\n\nreclassification in said district of the lands described in the\n\npetition and such petition shall be acknowledged in the same manner\n\nthat conveyances of land are required to be acknowledged.\n\nC. 1. Upon the filing of a petition for reclassification and\n\npayment, by the petitioners to the secretary-treasurer, of\n\nsufficient monies to pay the costs of all proceedings on the\n\npetition, the secretary-treasurer of the district shall cause notice\n\nof such petition to be published once in a newspaper published in\n\nthe county where the office of the directors is situated. If any\n\nportion of said district or land lies within another county or\n\ncounties then said notice shall be published in a newspaper\n\npublished within each of said counties. The notice shall inform the\n\npublic of:\n\na. the filing of such petition,\n\nb. the description of the lands mentioned in said\n\npetition which are desired to be reclassified in the\n\ndistrict,\n\nc. the reason for reclassification, and\n\nd. a meeting at which all persons interested may appear\n\nat the office of the board at the time named in said\n\nnotice and show cause, if any, why said petition\n\nshould be granted or denied.\n\n2. The directors shall consider the petition at any regular or\n\nspecial meeting of the board and at the established office and place\n\nof business of the district upon a date not earlier than ten (10)\n\ndays after the publication of the notice.\n\n3. A copy of the notice, as published, shall be by the\n\nsecretary-treasurer of the district mailed to each and all of the\n\nthen owners of the tracts or parcels of land proposed to be\n\nreclassified. The notice shall be so mailed not later than ten (10)\n\ndays prior to the date set for the hearing.\n\nD. The board at the time and place mentioned in the notice\n\nshall proceed to hear and consider any written comments which may\n\nhave theretofore been filed by any person interested in said\n\npetition for reclassification, and arguments, if any, by persons\n\ninterested, in support or opposition to the petition.\n\nE. 1. If, after giving due consideration, the board determines\n\nthat:\n\na. the reclassification is not in the best interest of\n\nthe district,\n\nb. the reclassification will impair the current or future\n\nneeds of the then existing electors, or\n\nc. the land is not irrigable, not suitable for irrigation\n\nor not otherwise necessary for the irrigation\n\ndistrict,\n\nthe board shall, by resolution, order that the petition be denied.\n\nThe resolution shall be included in the minutes of the regular or\n\nspecial meeting of the board held for such purpose.\n\n2. If, after giving due consideration, the board determines\n\nthat:\n\na. the reclassification is in the best interest of the\n\ndistrict,\n\nb. the reclassification will not impair the current or\n\nfuture needs of the existing electors, and\n\nc. the land is irrigable, is suitable for irrigation or\n\nis otherwise necessary for the irrigation district,\nor\n\nspecial meeting of the board held for such purpose.\n\n2. If, after giving due consideration, the board determines\n\nthat:\n\na. the reclassification is in the best interest of the\n\ndistrict,\n\nb. the reclassification will not impair the current or\n\nfuture needs of the existing electors, and\n\nc. the land is irrigable, is suitable for irrigation or\n\nis otherwise necessary for the irrigation district,\n\nthe board shall, by resolution, reclassify the lands mentioned in\n\nthe petition or determine that some defined portion thereof be\n\nreclassified. The resolution shall be included in the minutes of\n\nthe regular or special meeting of the board held for such purpose.\n\n3. If, within thirty (30) days from the making of such\n\ndetermination, three-fourths (3/4) of the qualified electors of the\n\ndistrict, in writing to the board, protest against the determination\n\nof the board, such determination shall be void.\n\nF. 1. When the reclassification of land is commenced by\n\npetition, the board to whom such petition is presented may require\n\nas a condition precedent to the granting of the same that the\n\npetitioners severally pay to the district such respective sums, as\n\nnearly as the same can be estimated by the board, as the petitioners\n\nor their grantors would have been required to pay for:\n\na. their pro rata share of all bonds and the interest\n\nthereon which may have previously thereto been issued\n\nby said district had the lands been included in the\n\ndistrict at the time the same was originally formed or\n\nwhen the bonds were so issued, and\n\nb. irrigation works or water rights purchased other than\n\nby issue of bonds.\n\n2. The board shall prepare an itemized expenditure listing of\n\nsuch costs incurred which shall also include information detailing\n\nhow any such estimated sums were determined.\n\nG. 1. Upon the reclassification of land in the district and if\n\nno protest has been filed with the board within thirty (30) days\n\nafter the entry of said resolution as provided in subsection E of\n\nthis section, a certified copy of the minutes of the board making\n\nsuch change, and a plat of such district showing such change,\n\ncertified by the president or chairman and secretary-treasurer,\n\nshall be filed for record in the office of the county clerk of each\n\ncounty in which the lands of the district are situated. The\n\ndistrict shall remain an irrigation district as fully to all intents\n\nand purposes as if the lands which were reclassified in the district\n\nhad been included or excluded at the organization of the district.\n\nThe district as so changed and all the lands therein shall be liable\n\nfor all existing obligations and indebtedness of the organized\n\ndistrict.\n\n2. Upon filing of the copies of the minutes and the plat,\n\ncopies thereof, certified by said county clerk, shall be admissible\n\nin evidence to prove the reclassification of said lands in the\n\ndistrict.\n\nH. 1. Lands within the boundaries of the district may also be\n\nreclassified by resolution of the board. Notice of the resolution\n\nto reclassify shall be given in the same manner as if the\n\nreclassification were by petition of the landowners except that the\n\ndistrict shall bear all costs of publication and of the proceedings.\n\nThe board at the time and place mentioned in the notice shall\n\nproceed to hear and consider any written objections which may have\n\ntheretofore been filed by any person interested in the\n\nreclassification, and arguments, if any, by persons interested in\n\nsupport or opposition to the resolution.\n\n2. The board shall give the same consideration required by\n\nsubsection E of this section for determining whether the lands\n\nspecified in the resolution should be reclassified. If, after the\n\nproceeding provided by this section, the board determines that the\n\nlands specified in the resolution should be reclassified, the board\n\nshall adopt the resolution. The resolution shall be included in the\non.\n\n2. The board shall give the same consideration required by\n\nsubsection E of this section for determining whether the lands\n\nspecified in the resolution should be reclassified. If, after the\n\nproceeding provided by this section, the board determines that the\n\nlands specified in the resolution should be reclassified, the board\n\nshall adopt the resolution. The resolution shall be included in the\n\nminutes of any regular or special meeting of the directors held for\n\nsuch purpose.\n\n3. If, within thirty (30) days from the meeting of such\n\ndetermination, three-fourths (3/4) of the qualified electors of the\n\ndistrict protest in writing to the board against the\n\nreclassification, the reclassification shall be void.\n\n4. If any owner of the property reclassified pursuant to this\n\nsubsection disputes the reclassification of such land, the owner may\n\nappeal the decision of the district court of the county having\n\njurisdiction over the lands specified by the resolution.\n\nI. In case of reclassification of any lands by proceedings\n\nunder this section, the board shall, at least thirty (30) days prior\n\nto the next succeeding regular election, make an order redividing\n\nsuch district for the purpose of electing directors to ensure\n\nequality in land area and number of electors.\n\nJ. In case of the reclassification of any lands by proceedings\n\nunder this section, the owners of the reclassified lands if they are\n\nto become assessable irrigable lands shall pay the reasonable costs\n\nof construction necessary to commence water delivery to said lands.","path":["OK Code","Title 82"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os82.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"8a3c462fb3fbb1ad15f609d0ab0b2fb189f258113427cabe76388e6da11db5ab","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-277.24","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-82-82-277.26"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}