Percentage of Federal Land Within County
PUBLIC LANDS
Arizona's 15 counties encompass more than 30 million acres of federally owned land, shaping local economies, land use, and community development across the state.
PAYMENT IN LIEU OF TAXES (PILT)
Created by Congress in 1976, the PILT program helps counties offset lost property tax revenue from federally owned, tax-exempt lands. Even though these lands generate no local property taxes, counties are still responsible for essential services like education, law enforcement, search and rescue, firefighting, parks and recreation, and other community programs.
PILT provides tens of millions to Arizona every year. For many counties, their limited tax base makes PILT funding a critical part of maintaining local services and infrastructure.
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30 MILLION
Acres of Federally Owned Land in Arizona
17.5%
Percentage of Private Taxable Land in Arizona
SECURE RURAL SCHOOLS (SRS)
The Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program was established as a replacement for declining federal timer revenues generated from national forest lands. The program helps to fund rural school districts and road maintenance.
