Committee advances bill to grant perpetual easements for county and municipal roads across state land

CHEYENNE — The Agriculture, State & Public Lands & Water Resources Committee advanced House Bill 219 on a committee vote after testimony from the bill sponsor, state land officials and local stakeholders about dozens of undocumented county and municipal roads that cross state trust lands.

Rep. Tony Locke, sponsor of House Bill 219, told the committee the bill “simplif[ies]” the process for county and municipal roads and aims to resolve longstanding confusion where roads exist without documented easements. Locke said the proposal would grant “a perpetual easement for a right of way over and across any state or school land … for county roads and municipal roads that go over and across state land or school land that are established before 01/01/2025.”

The bill also directs that “no fee, charge, assessment, or other costs shall be imposed on county, city, or users of municipal roads … for the perpetual easement” if counties and municipalities submit required documentation within the statutory window. Locke and others described the…