General directions for completing a ROW application are found on page 3 of the application form (SF-299).  Attach additional pages to the form if necessary to fully describe the proposal.

An application is considered complete and ready for processing according to the BLM's customer service standards when all necessary parts of the form have been filled in and the application has been signed and dated.

A map at appropriate scale showing the proposed location for the project must accompany the application, along with the legal description of the affected public land.

Applicants filing complex applications must fully reimburse the Government for all costs involved in processing, and payment arrangments must be made in advance.  

>  for Applicants | Application Processing - BLM ROW homepage

The BLM realty specialist or land law examiner assigned to review the application will first determine whether it is complete.

In response to a complete application, the specialist sends the applicant a letter estimating when to expect a decision on the application.

The specialist also calculates what processing the application will cost, determined mainly by the number of staff hours involved.  Regulations require the BLM to recover the costs of processing - mainly to cover the number of Federal work hours needed.

The specialist notifies the applicant in writing of processing costs, which the applicant must pay before the BLM can begin working on the application.  If the specialist determines that the application is complex enough that processing it will take longer than 60 days, the applicant is notified of this within 30 days of submitting the application.

Case Examples

APPLICANT #1: An individual seeking to renew an expiring ROW grant

The applicant is able to complete his renewal application immediately following his pre-application meeting and files it before leaving the BLM office. 

APPLICANT #2: A local telecomm provider applying for a communications site ROW

The company business manager takes information shared during the pre-application meeting and uses it to complete SF-299 and files it two weeks after the meeting.  The BLM realty specialist had advised the applicant that sensitive species surveys of the project site cannot be completed until spring, so more than 60 days will elapse before the BLM can issue a decision.