R850.  School and Institutional Trust Lands, Administration.
R850-5.  Payments, Royalties, Audits, and Reinstatements.
R850-5-100.  Authorities.
	This rule is authorized by Sections 6, 8, 10, and 12 of the Utah Enabling Act, Articles X and XX of the Utah Constitution and Section 53C-1-302(1)(a)(ii) of the Utah Code entitling the Director of the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration to establish fees, procedures and rules for management of the agency.

R850-5-200.  Payments.
	Payments include rentals, royalties or any other financial obligation owed under the terms of a lease, permit or any other agreement.
	1.  As a matter of convenience, the agency allows parties other than the obligee to remit payments on the obligee's behalf; however, this practice in no way relieves the obligee of any statutory or contractual obligations concerning the proper and timely payments or the proper and timely filing of reports.  For practical reasons, the agency often makes direct requests for reports and other records from parties other than the obligees.  Payors should be aware that their actions subject leases to cancellation or subject delinquent royalties to interest charges. It is, therefore, in the best interest of all parties to cooperate in responsibly discharging their obligations to each other and to the Trust Lands Administration.
	2.  The obligee bears final responsibility for payments.  Payments must be for the full amount owed.  Partial payments will only be accepted if approved in writing by the agency before submission.  In order to fulfill payment obligations of a lease, permit, or other financial contract with the agency, payments must be received as defined in subsection 3 of this rule by the appropriate due dates and must be accompanied by the appropriate report.  If the obligee submits payment by electronic fund transfer then appropriate supporting documentation must be submitted by electronic data transfer on the same day.
	3.  Payments will be considered received if sent by electronic fund transfer, delivered to the agency, or if the postmark stamped on the envelope is dated on or before the due date.  If the post office cancellation mark is illegible, erroneous, or omitted, the payment will be considered timely if the sender can establish by competent evidence that the payment was deposited in the United States mail on or before the date for filing or paying.  If the due date or cancellation date falls upon a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the payment shall be considered timely if received as defined herein by the next business day.
	4.  A $30 return check charge or the actual charge levied by the bank, whichever is greater, will be assessed on all checks returned by the bank.  The check must be replaced by cash, certified funds, or immediately available funds.  The Director may require future payments with certified funds when notified in writing.  If replacement funds are received after the required due date, R850-5-200(6) will be applied.
	5.  Any financial obligation not received by its contractual due date will initiate a written cancellation notice by certified mail, return receipt requested.  The cancellation date for any lease/permit or other contractual agreement unless otherwise specified by the contract, is defined as 30 days after the postmark date stamped on the U.S. Postal Service Receipt for Certified Mail of the cancellation notice.  In the event payment is not received by the agency on or before the cancellation date, the lease, permit or other contractual agreement will be subject to cancellation, forfeiture or termination without further notice.
	A default in the payment of any installment of principal or interest due under the terms of any land purchase agreement not received by the agency more than 30 days after the due date shall initiate a certified billing, return receipt requested.  If all sums then due and payable are not received within 30 days after the mailing of the U.S. Postal Service certified notice, the agency may elect any of the remedies as outlined in R850-80-700(8).  If the cancellation date falls on a weekend or holiday, payment will be accepted the next business day until 5 p.m.
	6.  A late penalty of 6% or $30, whichever is greater, shall be charged after failure to pay any financial obligation, excluding royalties as provided in R850-5-300(2), within the time limit under which such payment is due.
	7.  Subject to R850-4-300, rental payments received after the due date which do not include a late fee may be returned to the lessee by certified mail, return receipt requested.  Payment may only be accepted for the full amount due.

R850-5-300.  Royalties.
	1.  Royalty Reports and Reporting Periods
	(a)  All royalty payments shall be made payable to the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration and shall be accompanied by a royalty report on a form specified by the agency.  Failure to provide such a report may, after proper notification, subject the lease to cancellation.  Check stubs or other report forms are unacceptable and do not satisfy the reporting requirement of this section.
	(b)  Any report not sufficiently complete and accurate to enable the agency to deposit the royalty to the correct institutional fund must be promptly corrected or amended by the payor.  Failure to provide such a report may, after proper notification, subject the lease to cancellation.
	(c)  Any report submitted which includes entries as described below, may not be accepted by the agency and may be returned.
	i)  Any report submitted 24 months after the royalty due date.
	ii)  Amendments to prior report periods creating a net adjustment of less than $10.
	iii)  Any oil and gas royalty report line of original entry submitted after the first 180 days following the month of first production with a volume entry of zero which is subsequently amended with the actual volume.
	2.  Interest on Delinquent Royalties
	Interest shall be based on the prime rate of interest at the beginning of each month as approved by the Director and documented in the agency's Director's Actions, plus 4%.

R850-5-400.  Audits.
	The agency shall have the right at reasonable times and intervals to audit the books and records of any lessee/permittee/payor and to inspect the leased/permitted premises and conduct field audits for the purpose of determining whether there has been compliance with the rules or the terms of agreement.

R850-5-500.  Reinstatements.
	1.  The director may reinstate the following specific leases, permits, and easements, in the event of their cancellation, upon filing of a request for reinstatement, the payment of all late fees, reinstatement fees, and rental fees in arrears, based on a written finding that a reinstatement would be in the best interest of the trust beneficiaries:
	(a)  Special use leases issued using a competitive process within 60 days of cancellation.
	(b)  Special use leases issued without using a competitive process within 60 days of cancellation if:
	i)  there are no apparent competing interests,
	ii)  the cost of requiring a competitive process would be excessive in light of the potential revenue,
	iii)  a negotiated settlement appears to present greater opportunity for increased compensation than a competitive settlement, or
	iv)  there exists compelling reason establishing that the best interests of the trust would be met by waiving the competitive process.
	(c)  Grazing permits within 60 days of cancellation with the exception that grazing permits cancelled for reasons of non-payment of grazing fees may be reinstated by the director without a written finding.
	(d)  Easements within 60 days of cancellation provided that:
	i)  if the easement term is perpetual, then the easement shall be amended so that the term is 30 years beginning as of the original effective date.  However, if the remaining number of years on an easement so amended is less than 15, the ending date of the easement shall be set so that there will be 15 years remaining in the easement;
	ii)  if the easement term is not perpetual, easements shall be reinstated only for the balance of the original term; and
	iii)  the applicant for an easement reinstatement agrees to pay the difference between what was originally paid for the easement and what the agency would charge for the easement at the time the request for reinstatement is submitted.
	(e)  Materials permits within 60 days of cancellation.
	(f)  Materials permits issued without using a competitive process within 60 days of cancellation if:
	i)  there are no apparent competing interests,
	ii)  the cost of requiring a competitive process would be excessive in light of the potential revenue,
	iii)  a negotiated settlement appears to present greater opportunity for increased compensation than a competitive settlement, or
	iv)  there exists compelling reason establishing that the best interests of the trust would be met by waiving the competitive process.
	2.  The director may reinstate any application for lease, permit, easement, exchange, or sale cancelled pursuant to R850-30, R850-40-700(3), or R850-80 upon the filing of a request for reinstatement and the payment of applicable reinstatement fees, and based on a written finding that a reinstatement would be in the best interest of the trust beneficiaries.

KEY:  audits, payments, reinstatements, royalties
Date of Enactment or Last Substantive Amendment:  June 1, 2019
Notice of Continuation:  June 27, 2017
Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law:  53C-1-302(1)(a)(ii)