Arizona State Land Department

What Arizona State Land Department does

The Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) is a state government agency of Arizona, established in 1915 under the State Land Code to manage approximately 9.2 million surface acres of State Trust land granted through the Arizona-New Mexico Enabling Act of 1910. ASLD operates under a perpetual fiduciary mandate to generate maximum revenue for 13 designated Trust Beneficiaries, with K-12 public education (Common Schools) as the primary beneficiary receiving the bulk of distributions from approximately 8 million acres of designated land. The agency is led by Commissioner Robyn Sahid (the 22nd Commissioner, appointed by Governor Katie Hobbs) and two Deputy Commissioners, Jim Perry and Bill Boyd, and operates from its Phoenix headquarters at 1110 W Washington St.

ASLD's core technology stack is a GIS-based land management system anchored by three primary digital products: the Trust Land Parcel Viewer (a public interactive mapping tool displaying parcel lease status and land use), the Salesforce-based Community Portal (launched April 8, 2026, providing self-service application and lease management), and the AZGeo Clearinghouse (a centralized geospatial data sharing hub built on ArcGIS and coordinated through the Arizona Geographic Information Council). The portfolio of monetizable products spans recreational permits, commercial real estate leases and land sales, agricultural and grazing leases, mineral/oil/gas leases, utility-scale solar leases (typically 30 years), rights-of-way, and special land use permits.

The agency's business model combines transaction-based revenue (land sales via public auction, water rights auctions, application and processing fees ranging from $150 to $2,000) with recurring revenue (commercial leases exceeding 10 years, agricultural leases up to 10 years, grazing leases priced on AUM, mineral leases, and annual recreational permits priced at $15-$20). All land sales and commercial leases exceeding 10 years must be conducted via public auction per Arizona statute, with the Board of Appeals providing approval and appellate oversight. ASLD serves a diverse customer base spanning commercial developers, farmers, ranchers, mineral and renewable energy developers, recreational users, and 13 institutional beneficiaries across Arizona's public education and state institutions.

Name

Arizona State Land Department

Legal name

Arizona State Land Department

Website

https://land.az.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1915

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Arizona state government agency managing approximately 9.2 million acres of State Trust land to generate revenue for 13 beneficiaries, primarily K-12 public education, via public auctions, leases, and permits across commercial, agricultural, grazing, mineral, solar, and recreational uses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Trust Land Management

NAICS

Lessors of Other Real Estate Property (53119), Other Activities Related to Real Estate (531390), Support Activities for Mining (2131)

SIC

Mineral Royalty Traders (6795), Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

Keywords

• State trust land management
• Public land auctions
• Commercial land leasing
• Mineral rights leasing
• Agricultural land permits

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Land Sales: Sale of State Trust land parcels through public auctions to generate revenue for Trust Beneficiaries. Land sales require Board of Appeals approval and competitive bidding.
2. Commercial Real Estate Leases: Long-term commercial leases (10+ years) for commercial development, solar energy projects, and other commercial uses. Leases are auctioned publicly with minimum bids based on appraisals.
3. Agricultural Leases: Agricultural farming leases with maximum 10-year terms per Arizona Constitution. Payments due in advance by February 15th annually.
4. Grazing Leases: Grazing leases for livestock ranging on State Trust lands, with AUM (Animal Unit Month) based calculations.
5. Mineral/Oil/Gas Leases: Leases and permits for mineral exploration, development, oil & gas extraction, and geothermal resources on State Trust subsurface lands.
6. Recreational Permits: Annual and short-term permits for recreational use of State Trust lands including individual, family, and group permits.
7. Application and Processing Fees: Various application fees for leases, permits, amendments, assignments, and administrative services as outlined in the fee schedule.
8. Water Rights Auctions: Auction of water rights associated with State Trust lands.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ASLD manages approximately 9.2 million acres of Arizona State Trust land to generate revenue for 13 Trust Beneficiaries (primarily K-12 public education). Its offerings include commercial real estate leases and land sales via public auction, agricultural leases (up to 10-year terms), grazing leases (AUM-based), mineral/oil/gas exploration and development permits, utility-scale solar energy leases (typically 30-year terms), rights-of-way, special land use permits, and recreational permits (individual, family, small/large group).

Product overview

The Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) offers a unified suite of land management services centered on its online Community Portal and Parcel Viewer GIS tool. The portfolio includes recreational permits (individual, family, small group, large group), commercial real estate transactions (leases and land sales), agricultural and grazing leases, mineral rights, solar energy project leases, and rights-of-way permits. All land sales and long-term leases are conducted via public auction. The department manages approximately 9.2 million surface acres of State Trust land for 13 beneficiaries, primarily K-12 public education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Recreational Permit Annual permit for one individual to access State Trust land for day use with unlimited visits; limited to 14 cumulative days of overnight camping per year; priced at $15 annually.
• Family Recreational Permit Annual permit for two adults plus children under 18 in same household allowing unlimited day use access with 14 cumulative days of overnight camping per year; priced at $20 annually.
• Small Group Recreational Permit Permit for groups of 19 people or fewer; valid for 5 days after the group's gathering date; does not allow competitive or commercial activities; priced at $15.
• Large Group/Competitive Event Permit Permit application for groups of 20 or more, or smaller groups engaging in commercial or competitive activities; requires $300 non-refundable application fee and ASLD approval.
• Commercial Real Estate Lease Long-term commercial leases for commercial real estate on State Trust land, including 30-year terms for various commercial uses; auctioned publicly with appraised minimum bids.
• Land Purchase (State Trust Land Sale) State Trust land sales conducted via public auction to qualified buyers; $2,000 application fee; Board of Appeals approval required.
• Solar Energy Project Lease Long-term commercial leases (typically 30-year terms with renewal options) for utility-scale solar energy projects on State Trust land; requires ALTA Survey, Phase I Environmental, and Cultural Resource Study.
• Agricultural Lease Farm leases for agricultural production on State Trust land; maximum 10-year terms per Arizona Constitution; payments due in advance by February 15th annually.
• Grazing Lease Leases for livestock grazing on State Trust rangeland with AUM (Animal Unit Month) reporting requirements and water/improvement obligations.
• Mineral/Oil/Gas Exploration Lease Mineral leases, exploration permits, oil & gas, and geothermal rights on State Trust subsurface lands with required Mineral Development Reports and geologic field operation plans; $500 per application.
• Right of Way Rights-of-way across State Trust land for access and utility interconnection purposes.
• Special Land Use Permit Permits for special uses including apiary (beekeeping) operations on State Trust land.
• ASLD Community Portal Online customer portal providing transparency on applications and leases, including parcel maps, lease management, application cancellation, and status tracking features.
• Trust Land Parcel Viewer Publicly available GIS mapping tool displaying Arizona State Trust land parcels, showing lease status, land use information, and mineral lease layers.
• AZGeo Clearinghouse Centralized GIS data sharing platform providing access to metadata, geospatial data downloads, and Internet GIS services for administrative boundaries, demographic, environmental, hydrology, imagery, mining, natural features, and transportation data.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 9 million surface acres of State Trust lands managed for beneficiary revenue
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Arizona Geographic Information Council (AGIC)coreOthersAGIC is Arizona's primary forum and oversight group for geographic information and geographic information technology issues and coordination efforts. ASLD supports and participates in this council for GIS data sharing and standards.
• AZGeo ClearinghousecoreOthersCentralized GIS data sharing hub managed collaboratively for sharing Internet GIS services, metadata, and geospatial data downloads across administrative boundaries, environmental, hydrology, imagery, mining, natural features, and transportation sectors.
• Arizona Game & Fish DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordination on OHV recreation management, wildlife management, and recreational access to State Trust lands. ASLD refers users to AGFD for OHV decals, trails, and regulations.
• Arizona State Parks & TrailsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister agency responsible for OHV program management. ASLD refers users to Arizona State Parks for trails information and OHV regulations.
• Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Motor Vehicle DivisionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner agency for OHV decal sales for Arizona residents. ADOT MVD processes resident OHV decals at offices statewide and online through ServiceArizona.com.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Texas General Land Office: Manages Texas Permanent School Fund lands and surface/mineral assets for the benefit of public education. Closest functional analog to ASLD — both are state-level trust land managers with mandated public-auction processes and beneficiary-funded mandates.
• Colorado State Land Board: Stewards Colorado trust lands (~2.8 million surface acres and 4 million mineral acres) for beneficiaries including K-12 education. Comparable trust mandate, mineral rights portfolio, and revenue model built around lease and royalty income.
• Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments: Manages ~3.6 million acres of state trust lands in Wyoming for beneficiary institutions, with a heavy weighting toward mineral leasing and grazing. Highly comparable to ASLD's mineral and grazing lease portfolio given the resource-rich geography.
• New Mexico State Land Office: Administers ~9 million acres of trust land (including land grant and federal-purpose tracts) for New Mexico beneficiaries via leases and sales. Same fiduciary structure, Southwestern geography, and similar mix of grazing, mineral, and commercial lease activity as ASLD.
• Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA): Manages ~3.4 million acres of Utah trust lands for K-12 education and other beneficiaries through surface leases, mineral leases, and land sales. Same statutory trust model and revenue diversification across commercial, mineral, and grazing leases.

Others

• VICI Properties: Large REIT that acquires long-term real estate and leases it back to operators on triple-net terms. Comparable monetization model for long-duration ground leases, but applied to entertainment and experiential real estate rather than natural-resource land.
• Royalty Pharma: Acquires royalty interests in biopharma products and collects income streams. Business-model analog to ASLD's mineral/oil/gas royalty activity in that the core function is monetizing passive royalty/lease rights, though in pharmaceutical IP rather than subsurface minerals.
• The Nature Conservancy: Large nonprofit that acquires and manages conservation land and easements, often via purchase from state land agencies. Comparable in its role as a land steward managing large surface acreage, but distinct in nonprofit mission and conservation focus rather than revenue generation for beneficiaries.
• Weyerhaeuser Company: Timberland REIT managing millions of acres of natural resource land and generating recurring lease/harvest revenue. Comparable in operating model — long-duration land ownership with revenue from resource extraction and surface leases — but specialized in timberland rather than mixed-use trust land.

Broad incumbents

• Bureau of Land Management (BLM): Federal agency managing ~245 million acres of public land across the western U.S., including grazing permits, mineral leases, and rights-of-way. Comparable leasing/auction mechanics and subsurface rights management, but operates at much larger scale for a general public-benefit mandate rather than ASLD's beneficiary-trust purpose.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AZStateLand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/state-of-arizona

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arizona State Land Department