§ 30.266 When is a final decision issued?

This section applies when a decedent is shown to have owned land interests in any one or more of the reservations designated in § 30.260. (a) The probate proceeding relative to the determination of heirs, approval or disapproval of a will, and the claims of creditors must first be concluded as final for the Department under this part. This decision is referred to in this section as the “probate decision.” (b) At the formal probate hearing, a finding must be made on the record showing those interests in land, if any, that are subject to the tribal purchase option. (1) The finding must be included in the probate decision and must state: (i) The apparent rights of the tribe as against affected heirs or devisees; and (ii) The right of a surviving spouse whose interests are subject to the tribal purchase option to reserve a life estate in one-half of the interests. (2) If the finding is that there are no interests subject to the tribal purchase option, the decision must so state. (3) A copy of the probate decision, together with a copy of the valuation report, must be distributed to all interested parties under § 30.237.