Statute Details
- Title: State Lands (Fees) Rules 2015
- Act Code: SLA1920-S310-2015
- Type: Subsidiary legislation (Rules)
- Authorising Act: State Lands Act (Cap. 314)
- Legal Basis: Made under section 19 of the State Lands Act
- Enacting Formula / Maker: Minister for Law (Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Law signs)
- Citation: State Lands (Fees) Rules 2015
- Commencement: 1 June 2015
- Current Status: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
- Key Provisions: Rule 2 (fees payable for specified goods/services), Rule 3 (remission/refund by Collector of Land Revenue), Rule 4 (revocation and savings)
- Schedule: Specifies the fees (second column) for goods or services (first column) supplied by reference to items
What Is This Legislation About?
The State Lands (Fees) Rules 2015 is subsidiary legislation made under the State Lands Act to set out the fees payable for certain “goods or services” supplied in connection with state land administration. In practical terms, it tells lawyers, applicants, and government departments what charges apply when the State (through the relevant land revenue authority) provides specified services—such as processing applications, issuing documents, or supplying land-related materials—listed in the Schedule.
The Rules are not a broad land law reform measure. Instead, they operate as a fee schedule and a procedural framework for how those fees may be remitted or refunded in appropriate cases. The legislation is therefore highly relevant to transactional and administrative work: whenever a client applies for a state land-related service, the Rules determine the applicable fee and provide a mechanism for relief if the fee should be reduced or returned.
Finally, the Rules also manage legal continuity. They revoke an earlier set of fee rules (the “revoked State Lands (Fees) Rules”) but preserve the applicability of the old Schedule for applications made before the commencement date. This “savings” approach is important for avoiding unfair retrospective charging or refund disputes.
What Are the Key Provisions?
Rule 1 (Citation and commencement) establishes the formal identity of the instrument and its start date. The Rules may be cited as the State Lands (Fees) Rules 2015 and come into operation on 1 June 2015. For practitioners, this date is critical when advising on which fee regime applies to an application—particularly where an application straddles the commencement date or where payment and processing occur at different times.
Rule 2 (Fees) is the core charging provision. It provides that the fees specified in the second column of the Schedule are payable for the supply of goods or services specified opposite in the first column. The drafting structure is straightforward: the Schedule is the operative source of the amounts, while Rule 2 links those amounts to the relevant service category.
For legal work, Rule 2 means that fee disputes are typically resolved by identifying (i) the exact item/service being requested and (ii) the corresponding entry in the Schedule. Practitioners should therefore treat the Schedule as the primary interpretive document. Where a client’s request could arguably fall under multiple service descriptions, careful mapping to the Schedule item is essential.
Rule 3 (Remission or refund of fees) introduces an administrative discretion to provide relief. Under Rule 3(1), the Collector of Land Revenue may remit or refund, wholly or in part any fee paid or payable under Rule 2 for the supply of goods or services specified in items 1 to 11 of the Schedule.
This provision is significant for two reasons. First, it is not limited to fees already paid; it covers fees that are “paid or payable,” allowing relief even before full payment is completed (depending on how the Collector administers the process). Second, it permits partial remission/refund, which is often the practical outcome in administrative fairness decisions—rather than an all-or-nothing approach.
Rule 3(2) addresses temporal scope. It states that Rule 3(1) applies regardless of whether the fee was paid or payable before, on or after 1 June 2015. This is a strong continuity clause: even if the underlying service request occurred under the earlier fee rules, the Collector’s discretion to remit or refund under the 2015 Rules is not constrained by the commencement date. For practitioners, this can be crucial when advising on relief for older matters, especially where a client seeks reconsideration after a change in fee rules or after a procedural irregularity.
Rule 4 (Revocation and savings) governs the relationship between the 2015 Rules and the earlier fee rules. Rule 4(1) provides that the State Lands (Fees) Rules (R 3) are revoked. However, Rule 4(2) contains a savings provision: despite revocation, the Schedule to the revoked Rules continues to apply to an application for any item in that Schedule made before 1 June 2015 as if the revoked Rules had not been revoked.
This savings clause is designed to protect legitimate expectations. If an applicant submitted an application before the commencement date, they should not be charged under the new Schedule. Conversely, if an application is made on or after 1 June 2015, the 2015 Schedule applies (subject to any other relevant legal provisions). In practice, practitioners should document the application date and ensure that the fee assessment corresponds to the correct regime.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Rules are structured in a conventional legislative format for subsidiary instruments:
Enacting Formula (the authority and the maker): It states that the Minister for Law makes the Rules in exercise of powers conferred by section 19 of the State Lands Act.
Part/Section layout: The instrument contains four numbered provisions:
- Rule 1: Citation and commencement
- Rule 2: Fees (linking Schedule amounts to specified goods/services)
- Rule 3: Remission or refund (Collector’s discretion; temporal reach)
- Rule 4: Revocation and savings (revokes prior rules; preserves old Schedule for pre-commencement applications)
The Schedule is the operational fee table. It sets out, in two columns, (i) the goods/services and (ii) the corresponding fees. The extract indicates that Rule 3’s remission/refund discretion applies to items 1 to 11 in the Schedule, which suggests that the Schedule contains at least 11 items and that not all items may be covered by remission/refund (depending on how the Schedule is drafted in the full text).
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Rules apply to persons and entities who request or receive specified goods or services connected with state land administration, where the relevant authority supplies those goods/services and charges the fees listed in the Schedule. In practice, this includes applicants in administrative processes under the State Lands Act framework—such as parties seeking documents, processing, or other land-related services that attract fees.
Operationally, the Rules also apply to the Collector of Land Revenue, who is empowered to remit or refund fees. The Collector’s discretion is a key compliance and client-advice point: where a client faces hardship, error, or other circumstances warranting relief, Rule 3 provides a legal basis to seek remission or refund.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
Although the Rules are relatively short, they have direct financial and procedural consequences. Fee schedules often become the subject of disputes because they determine the cost of administrative steps and can affect timelines, budgeting, and settlement positions in property-related matters. By specifying the fees and linking them to defined services, Rule 2 provides the legal basis for charging and helps ensure consistency across cases.
Rule 3 is particularly important for practitioners advising clients who have already paid fees or who are facing imminent payment. The ability to seek wholly or partially remission or refund—coupled with the clause that the discretion applies regardless of whether the fee was paid or payable before or after 1 June 2015—means that relief can be pursued even in older matters. This can be relevant where a client discovers that the wrong fee was charged, where processing delays occur, or where the circumstances justify equitable adjustment.
Rule 4’s revocation and savings provision reduces legal uncertainty. Without such a clause, applicants could face arguments about which fee regime applies to applications made around the commencement date. The savings clause protects pre-commencement applicants by preserving the applicability of the revoked Schedule to applications made before 1 June 2015. For practitioners, this supports defensible fee positions and reduces the risk of retrospective charging.
Related Legislation
- State Lands Act (Cap. 314) — authorising Act; section 19 provides the power to make these Rules
- State Lands (Fees) Rules (R 3) — revoked by Rule 4(1), but its Schedule continues to apply to certain pre-commencement applications
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the State Lands (Fees) Rules 2015 for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.