The bill amends section 61-04-03.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, which pertains to the limitations on the amount of water that can be held under a conditional water permit without being applied to beneficial use. The new legal language specifies that an applicant cannot apply for a permit that would allow them to hold more than seven hundred twenty acre-feet of water from a single surface or ground water source that has not been utilized beneficially. Additionally, applications that violate this limitation will not receive a priority date and must be returned to the applicant by the department of water resources.

The bill also clarifies that this limitation does not apply to water permit applications from the Missouri River or to those submitted by irrigation districts organized under the relevant title. Furthermore, it defines "person" in the context of this section to include the individual, their spouse, and dependents as outlined in the Internal Revenue Code.

Statutes affected:
INTRODUCED: 61-16.1-43
Prepared by the Legislative Council staff for Representative Brandenburg: 61-04-03.1
FIRST ENGROSSMENT: 61-04-03.1