HAR §4-159-21. Appraisals and setting of lease rents

(a) Public auction. The appraisal of lands for the determination of the upset lease rental at public auction may be made by an employee of the department qualified to appraise lands, or by one but not more than three disinterested appraisers contracted by the administrator; provided that the upset lease rental shall be determined by disinterested appraisal when prudent management so dictates. Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, no such lands shall be leased for a sum less than the rental value fixed by appraisal; provided that for any lease at public auction, the board may establish the upset lease rental at less than the appraisal value set by an employee of the department and the land may be leased at that price. The department shall be reimbursed by the lessee for the cost of any appraisal made by a disinterested appraiser or appraisers contracted for by the department. (b) Drawing or negotiation. The base rental and additional rental lands to be disposed of by drawing or by negotiation shall, except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, be no less than the rental value determined by a disinterested appraiser or appraisers contracted by the administrator, and such appraisal, and any further appraisal which is made at the request 159-35 3620 4-159-21 of the lessee and with the approval of the department, shall be reimbursed to the department by the lessee. (c) Reopening. In the case of reopenings of the rental for a lease, the base rental and additional rental for any ensuing period shall be the rental value at the time of reopening determined in conformance with the uniform standards of professional appraisal practice as adopted by national professional appraisal organizations. At least six months prior to the time of reopening, the rental value of the land in the specific use or uses for which the disposition was made shall be determined by an appraiser whose services shall be contracted for by the administrator, and the lessee shall be promptly notified of the determination; provided that should the lessee disagree with the appraised rental, the lessee may appoint the lessee's own appraiser who together with the department's appraiser shall appoint a third appraiser, and the appraised rental shall be determined by arbitration as provided in chapter 658A, HRS. In that case the lessee shall pay for the lessee's own appraiser, the department shall pay for its appraiser, and the cost of the third appraiser shall be borne equally by the lessee and the department. (d) Assignment of lease. In the event of an assignment of lease, the base rental and additional rental for any ensuing period may be redetermined by the board pursuant to appraisal conducted by a disinterested appraiser or appraisers contracted by the administrator; provided that the base rental and additional rental shall be the rental value at the time of assignment determined by generally accepted appraisal methods. The cost of redetermining the base rental and additional rental shall be borne by the lessee. (e) When more than one appraiser is appointed, each shall prepare and submit an independent appraisal. All appraisal reports shall be available for review by the public. (f) All appraisals are required to be performed 159-36 3620 4-159-22 by using the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practices. (g) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this chapter, the administrator may recommend to the board for approval an adjustment of an appraised value. The administrator may recommend using any of the following adjustments: (1) An adjustment of the fee simple value determined through appraisal as necessary to maintain equitable fee simple values between, among, or throughout the department's land lease system for lands having the same designated use and which are put out to lease within twelve months of each other; (2) An adjustment of the rental value determined through appraisal by factoring in a lot's unproductive acreage, e.g., drainageways, restricted easements, common usage, mixed use, and non-contributory land areas, for those lots for which the specified use is for crops to be grown "in the soil or ground". (3) An adjustment of the rental determined through appraisal at the time of reopening or conversion, as the case may be, by: (A) Factoring in the income for a particular lessee using a percentage increase that reflects the increase in the value of the leasehold since commencement of the lease; (B) Using an appropriate index (e.g., consumer price index, producers' price index, etc.) to calculate an escalation of the rental over a specified period of time. [Eff JAN 23 2026] (Auth: SLH 2022, HRS §141D-7, §7) (Imp: SLH 2022, HRS §141D-7, §8)