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� The District Commissioner after satisfying himself that the land is not
encumbered (overcrowded) in any way approves that the land be deeded to the
applicant and issues a certificate to that effect.
The procedure for obtaining land located in the County Area is as follows:
� Apply to the Land Commissioner in the county in which the land is located;
� The Commissioner shall issue a certificate if he is satisfied that the land is not
encumbered.
Upon completion of the above steps, the purchase shall pay the Bureau of Revenues the
value of the land valued at a minimum rate of 50 cents per acre (Land article 24 of the
1986 Constitution of Liberia). He shall obtain and submit a receipt to the President for
an order to have the land surveyed. A deed will then be drawn up by the Land
Commissioner, authenticated, and given to the purchaser.
2.2.5 Land Tenure in Liberia
Liberia has three kinds of land tenure and these are briefly described below. The tenure
system is important as title to all land in the country is vested in the state.
Customary Tenure
Customary tenure involves the use of land which the government has granted to people
in the hinterland through customary rights. Such rights begin with the Town Chief, then
the Clan or Paramount Chief and lastly the District Commissioner. The District
Commissioner prepares the Customary Land Grant Certificates, which are then
legalised by the President of Liberia.
Freehold Tenure
Freehold tenure has its legality from the Constitution and its occurrences from the
written law. It involves holding land in perpetuity or a term fixed by a condition and
enables the holding to exercise, subject to the law, full powers of ownership.
Leasehold Tenure
This tenure is created either by contract or by operation of the law. It is a form under
which the landlord or lessor grants the tenant or lessee exclusive right of the land,
usually for a specific period in return for a rent, granting the tenant security of tenure
and a proprietary interest in the land.
2.2.6 Land Valuation System
Title to all land vests in the state. Thus the government is the original grantor of land
and the public are all grantees. One who obtains land from the state has a bona fide title
and the right to full possession and use of the land. However, the state has the right to
revoke any previously granted title. Before such power can be exercised, the state
through its institutions is statutorily obliged to first evaluate the current market value of
the property to be acquired with the aim of providing just compensation to the affected
owner. Where the land to be revoked is in public use, the state has the burden of
replacing it with one of commensurate value.
In the case of public land, section 31 of the 1986 Liberian Code provides the procedure
for determining the cost as follows: