Overview
You can transfer your state forest leased campsite to someone else. The transfer may be to a family member, friend, or to the buyer of your cabin.
It is important to understand that selling your cabin and transferring your lease are two separate actions.
Additional resources:
How to Transfer the Lease of Your State Forest Leased Campsite
The process to transfer your lease is outlined as follows:
- Seller obtains a copy of the Assignment of Forest Camp Lease
- Seller and buyer complete the Assignment of Forest Camp Lease form
- Assignment of Forest Camp Lease is submitted to the forest district by the lessee (seller)
- Forest district inspects the campsite, noting any maintenance needing to be done before the transfer is executed
- Seller and buyer decide who will complete any required maintenance
- Bureau of Forestry executes the “Assignment” then draws up new Forest Camp Lease Agreement for the buyer to sign
- Buyer and/or seller notifies the county tax office of the change in ownership
All forms must be obtained from your local forest district office.
Selling your cabin and transferring the lease
It's highly recommended that you transfer your lease before selling your cabin.. The process of approving a lease transfer can take several weeks.
The Commonwealth does not guarantee a lease for your cabin buyer. Sometimes, it may deny a lease if the buyer doesn't meet the basic requirements.
How the lease transfer process works
To sell your cabin, first contact the forest district where it's located. The Leased Campsite Administrator will help you transfer the lease.
A copy of the Assignment of Forest Camp Lease will be provided to you. This form must be signed, witnessed, and notarized by both parties. Then, return it to the forest district.
Upon receipt, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Bureau of Forestry will execute the Assignment of Forest Camp Lease. A copy will be sent to both the buyer and seller.
The process normally takes four weeks from when we get the form. Incorrectly completing the form will delay the approval process.
After the Assignment of Forest Camp Lease form is signed and returned to you, you will not hear from DCNR again. All correspondence will be between DCNR and the buyer.
We will prepare a new lease for the buyer to complete and return to us. It normally takes four weeks to complete the process. This is from when we receive the signed lease agreement. Incorrectly completing the agreement will delay the process.
Understanding the lease transfer process
You may sell your property (the cabin, its contents, and the outbuilding), but not the lease. You are only requesting us to transfer the lease to another party.
A lease cannot be transferred without a cabin. So, if your cabin is destroyed by fire, flood, or other natural causes, the lease cannot be transferred.
All forms to transfer your lease must be obtained at your local forest district office.
Death of a lessee
It is important that DCNR is notified if a lessee has died. Legally transferring the lease as soon as possible helps to alleviate problems in the future.
If the current lessee has passed away and the lease was in the name of a husband and wife, the surviving spouse will become the lessee, unless the cabin was legally willed to another party.
A transfer of the lease to the next of kin, or from the estate to another party, can be done after we receive a completed Assignment of Forest Camp Lease Form and a copy of the will, death certificate, and short certificate.
If the lease was in the name of a group, and it is the agent for the group that has passed away, a new agent will need to be appointed by the group. The Change of Agent Form (PDF) must be completed and signed by the new agent and two of the group’s officers.
Contact the forest district office where your leased camp resides. The leased camp administrator will help you through the process.