A. A land exchange is where a private individual or corporation exchanges its privately held land for land owned by the federal government. There are many reasons for pursuing a land exchange with the federal government. Chief among these reasons is often the location of the land involved. For example, a company may wish to develop an area of land that borders federally owned property. Acquisition of the federal property may ease access to the company's development or enable the company to expand the development.
Monetary considerations are another important reason for pursuing a land exchange.
Land exchanges do not require the individual or company to come up with financing to acquire the federal land. Rather, under a land exchange, the private individual or company exchanges and that it already owns with land owned by the federal government. A. Land exchanges must be approved by the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. Thus, a good starting point would be to contact the local Bureau of Land Management in the area where the land you hope to exchange is located. Often the assistance of an attorney can facilitate the exchange.