State Lands Act
(Chapter 314, Section 3)
State Lands Rules
R 1
G.N. No. S 290/1993

REVISED EDITION 1994
(15th July 1993)
[15th July 1993]
Citation
1.  These Rules may be cited as the State Lands Rules.
Definitions
2.  In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires —
“grant” includes a grant in fee simple;
“lease” does not include a tenancy for a term of less than 10 years.
[S 113/2021 wef 18/02/2021]
Application to acquire or occupy State land
3.  Every application to acquire or occupy State land shall be made to the Collector of Land Revenue in such form or manner as may be prescribed.
State land to be alienated with approval of President
4.—(1)  Except as provided in paragraph (2), no State land shall be alienated without the approval of the President.
(2)  The Commissioner of Lands may approve the alienation of land which is included in a State reserve, a reserve for any road or back lane or any other reserve which is no longer required by the Government as such reserve.
(3)  Where there are two or more applications in respect of the same land, alienation of such land shall be made pursuant to a sale by public auction or after public invitation of tenders unless the Minister in his discretion otherwise decides.
Appointment of agents for disposal of State land
4A.—(1)  The Minister or Commissioner of Lands may appoint in writing any statutory body to act as agent of the Government in the disposal of specified State land, and to manage such specified State land and grant any State title in connection with such disposal.
[S 280/2023 wef 15/05/2023]
(2)  A statutory body which has been appointed under paragraph (1) shall, in addition to the functions, duties and powers conferred on it by the written law under which it is established, have —
(a)the function and duty to act as agent of the Government in the disposal and management of the specified State land and the grant of State title in relation to such specified State land in accordance with the Act and any other written law; and
(b)such powers as may be incidental or necessary thereto.
(3)  An appointment of a statutory body under paragraph (1) may only be made after obtaining the concurrence of the Minister charged with the responsibility for the statutory body.
[S 280/2023 wef 15/05/2023]
(4)  In this rule, “specified State land” means any parcel of State land or any class of State land specified in the appointment of the statutory body to act as agent of the Government under paragraph (1).
[S 558/2002 wef 25/10/2002]
GRANT OF LEASES
Execution of grant or lease of State land
5.  Every grant or lease of State land shall be executed under the public seal of Singapore, and such grant or lease shall be void and of no effect unless the said seal shall have been affixed to the instrument.
Special covenants and conditions
6.—(1)  In all cases in which State land is to be granted or leased on special covenants and conditions, the special covenants and conditions shall be endorsed on or inserted in the title and shall be signed and sealed by the grantee or lessee.
(2)  Special covenants and conditions in relation to buildings on or to the use of alienated State land may be embodied in separate agreements.
Persons to whom State lands shall not be granted or leased
7.  No State land shall be granted or leased to —
(a)any person who is an undischarged bankrupt;
(b)any body corporate against which a winding-up order has been made and has not been stayed; or
(c)any person or body corporate against whom or which the Government has any claim by way of rents, fees, property tax or otherwise on account of land which has been cleared or occupied at any time by him or by his direction.
Declaration of trust
8.—(1)  Where State land is to be granted or leased on trust, the grantee or lessee thereof shall execute and register a declaration of trust at the time of the issue of the title.
(2)  Where a title is to be issued in the names of two or more persons, the nature of their tenancy or interest shall be stated therein.
(3)  Where a title is to be issued to a person as executor or administrator of a deceased person, he shall be so described in the title.
Deposit by applicant
9.  Except where the Collector of Land Revenue otherwise decides, no applicant shall be allowed to enter into occupation of the land applied for by him until he has deposited with the Collector of Land Revenue a sum sufficient to cover such sum as premium (if any), rent, fees or other dues as the Collector of Land Revenue shall decide.
Title
10.  The title ordinarily to be issued shall be a lease for a term not less than 10 years and not exceeding 99 years, except that where land is not capable of independent development and is required for development with the applicant’s adjacent land, the title to be issued may be the same as that of the applicant’s land.
[S 113/2021 wef 18/02/2021]
Publication of notice for public auctions or public tenders
11.—(1)  When the sale of State land by public auction or public tender has been authorised, the Collector of Land Revenue must publish a notice of sale in accordance with paragraph (1A) on the Internet website of the agent of the Government through which the sale is to be carried out, as follows:
(a)Housing and Development Board — https://www.hdb.gov.sg/;
(b)Jurong Town Corporation — https://jtc.gov.sg/;
(c)Singapore Land Authority — https://www.sla.gov.sg/;
(d)Urban Redevelopment Authority — https://www.ura.gov.sg/.
[S 113/2021 wef 18/02/2021]
(1A)  A notice of sale mentioned in paragraph (1) must describe the land and state —
(a)in the case of a sale by public auction — the place, date and time of the sale;
(b)in the case of a sale by public tender — the closing date and time of the public tender; and
(c)the manner in which the conditions of the sale may be obtained.
[S 113/2021 wef 18/02/2021]
(2)  An auctioneer may be appointed by the Collector of Land Revenue or his agent authorised in that behalf to conduct a public auction, and the costs thereof shall be recovered from the proceeds of sale or met from any available funds.
(3)  A deposit of not less than 5% on the price bid or, where an upset price is demanded, 25% on the price bid shall be paid and the Collector of Land Revenue shall give a receipt for the same.
(4)  The balance of the sale price and charges shall be paid within one month from the date of sale or within such further period as the Collector of Land Revenue may, on such terms and conditions as he considers fit, allow, failing which, the sale shall be void and of no effect and the amount deposited shall be forfeited to the Government.
Consideration for alienation of State land
12.—(1)  The consideration for the alienation of State land shall be a premium or an annual rent or both.
(2)  The Minister may, in his discretion, permit the payment of the premium by instalments on such terms and conditions as he considers fit, having regard to the circumstances of each case.
(3)  The Minister may, in any case in which he thinks fit, waive wholly or partly the payment of any annual rent for such period as he thinks fit.
Rents and payments
13.  All rents and other sums payable under the Act shall be payable in advance without demand on 1st January in each year.
Payments to Collector at Land Office
14.  Every sum payable under the Act shall be paid to the Collector of Land Revenue at the Land Office or at such other place as he may from time to time appoint.
Application under section 13 of Act
15.  Every application to the President to accept a surrender of any Crown grant, State grant, Crown lease or State lease under section 13 of the Act shall be in writing and shall be addressed to the Collector of Land Revenue.
Deed of surrender
16.  Where the instrument of title to be surrendered is a grant issued under the Act, the State Lands Ordinance or the Crown Lands Ordinance 1886 (Ord. 2/1886), and is produced by the person named therein as the grantee, the Collector of Land Revenue shall call upon the grantee to prepare a deed of surrender, a transfer instrument or such other document as the Collector of Land Revenue may require and shall accept the same when it has been executed by the grantee, and on payment of the statutory charges shall prepare new grants of the land in parcels.
Grants or leases issued before 1st March 1886 produced by person other than grantee
17.  Where the instrument of the title to be surrendered is a grant or lease issued before 1st March 1886, or is a grant issued under the Act, the State Lands Ordinance or the Crown Lands Ordinance 1886, and produced by some person other than the person named therein as the grantee thereof, the applicant shall, if required by the Collector of Land Revenue to do so, lodge with the Collector of Land Revenue an abstract of his title verified by statutory declaration, and shall also deposit with the Collector of Land Revenue a sum sufficient to cover the costs and fees payable in respect of the investigation of title.
New grants or leases
18.  The instrument of title to be issued in lieu of a surrendered grant or lease shall be a grant or lease under the Act and such grant or lease shall, unless otherwise sanctioned by the Collector of Land Revenue, be made out in the name of the person who executed the surrender.
[G.N. No. S 290/93]