STATE LAWS RELATING TO THE OWNERSHIP OF U.S. AGRICULTURAL LAND BY ALIENS AND BUSINESS ENTITIES

A significant number of States have laws directed at the ownership of U.S. land by aliens and business entities. These laws vary greatly from State-to- State in the degree of their severity. Thirty States have some type of law restricting alien ownership of land. Ten States require aliens to report their landholdings within the State. Fifteen States restrict business entities from owning land or engaging in the business of farming. Eleven States have laws requiring business entities to report their landholdings within the State. An individual State may be included in more than one of the above categories