43 U.S.C. § 390mm — Repayment of construction charges

(a) Ownership and pricing limitations inapplicable when repayment obligation has been discharged: The ownership limits and full-cost pricing limits of this subchapter — and the ownership limits in any other part of federal reclamation law — stop applying to land in a district once the district's obligation to repay construction costs for the project facilities serving that land has been fully paid off. This can happen through a district's repayment, or through an individual's repayment under a contract that existed on October 12, 1982. Repayment can happen through regular installments over the contract term, including accelerated payments where contracts already allowed for them. (b) Certification of freedom from ownership and pricing limitations: (1) If an owner has finished repaying for their land, the Secretary must give them, on request, a certificate stating the land is free of federal reclamation law's ownership or pricing limits. The certificate must be in a form that can be recorded in the county's land records. (2) Any certificate the Secretary issued before October 12, 1982, saying land was free of the acreage limit, remains valid. (c) Lump sum or accelerated repayment of construction costs: This subchapter does not let owners or districts pay off construction costs in a lump sum or ahead of schedule. The only exception is a repayment contract already in effect on October 12, 1982, that specifically allows lump-sum or accelerated repayment by an individual or district.