The Secure Rural Schools Act is a federal program that sends payments to counties containing national forest land, and to 18 western Oregon counties containing certain Bureau of Land Management lands, to help fund schools, roads, forest projects, and county emergency services. Congress most recently reauthorized it through fiscal year 2026 under Public Law 119-58, signed in December 2025, with final payments expected in 2027.1U.S. Forest Service. Secure Rural Schools – The Act The program distributed roughly $230 million to $248 million in FY 2025.
Why the Payments Exist
Federal land inside a county’s borders cannot be taxed locally, so the federal government has long shared a portion of national forest revenue with the states where those forests sit. Under the Act of May 23, 1908, states received 25 percent of gross forest receipts and passed the money to counties for public schools and roads.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 500 – Payment and Evaluation of Receipts to State or Territory for Schools and Roads That worked while harvests were high. By the 1990s, harvests on federal land had dropped sharply, and counties that had leaned on timber receipts saw school and road budgets collapse.
Congress passed the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act in 2000 to break that link. Instead of following harvest volume up and down, SRS payments come from a stabilized formula. The program has expired and been reauthorized multiple times, which has created its own kind of budgeting uncertainty for counties caught between cycles.
Which Counties Qualify
A county qualifies if it contains land in the National Forest System and elects to receive a share of the state or county payment. The statute specifically excludes National Grasslands and land utilization projects designated as National Grasslands.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC Chapter 90 – Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Eighteen counties in western Oregon qualify on a separate track because they contain Oregon and California Railroad Revested Lands or Coos Bay Wagon Road lands managed by BLM.4Bureau of Land Management. O&C Lands
Counties in roughly 40 states receive some level of SRS funding. Amounts vary widely depending on how much federal forest land falls within a county’s borders.
What the Money Funds
SRS payments are split into three titles, each with its own spending rules and its own cap.
Title I: Roads and Schools
Between 80 and 85 percent of each county’s SRS payment must go to Title I, whose uses mirror the old 25-percent payment: public roads and public schools.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 7112 – Payments to States and Counties This money flows directly into county and state budgets and, for many rural districts, represents a significant share of road maintenance and school operating revenue with no local tax replacement.
Title II: Projects on Federal Land
After the Title I minimum is met, counties can allocate part of the balance to Title II for projects on federal land or projects that benefit resources on federal land. Eligible activities include watershed restoration, invasive species control, road and trail maintenance, wildlife habitat improvement, and forest ecosystem health work.6SAM.gov. Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Title II money does not go to the county treasury. It stays with the federal agency and pays for projects approved through a Resource Advisory Committee.
Title III: County Safety and Emergency Programs
Counties receiving $350,000 or more in total SRS payments may reserve up to 7 percent of their payment for Title III.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 7112 – Payments to States and Counties The authorized uses are narrow and listed in the statute:
- Firewise Communities activities that educate homeowners in fire-prone areas about construction, landscaping, and siting techniques
- Reimbursement of county costs for search and rescue, firefighting, and law enforcement patrols performed on federal land
- Emergency services training and equipment directly related to the activities above
- Developing and carrying out community wildfire protection plans in coordination with the Forest Service or BLM
- Expanding broadband at local schools and providing the technology students need for digital learning tools
Read that last item carefully. The statute authorizes broadband spending only at local schools and for student digital learning, not for general rural broadband infrastructure or emergency communications networks.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 7142 – Use Any Title II or Title III balance a county does not obligate for these authorized purposes goes back to the U.S. Treasury.
How Counties Elect and Allocate
Every two fiscal years, each county chooses between the traditional revenue-based payment (a 25-percent or 50-percent share of actual forest receipts) and the stabilized SRS payment. The deadline is August 1, and the county’s governor transmits the election to the appropriate Secretary.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 7112 – Payments to States and Counties
Missing the deadline has consequences. A county that fails to elect is treated as having chosen the SRS payment. If the governor doesn’t submit a title allocation, the default splits 80 percent to Title I and sends the remainder to the federal agency for projects in that county. In practice, most counties elect SRS because it is almost always higher and more predictable than the revenue-based alternative. Election and allocation forms are posted on the Forest Service SRS page.8U.S. Forest Service. Secure Rural Schools Program
Resource Advisory Committees
A county that allocates money to Title II needs a functioning Resource Advisory Committee to recommend and oversee projects. Each committee has 15 members drawn evenly from three categories:
- Commodity and land-use interests, such as timber industry representatives, organized labor, recreation businesses, energy and mineral development, grazing permit holders, and nonindustrial private forest landowners
- Conservation and recreation interests, such as environmental organizations, dispersed recreation groups, archaeological and historical groups, wildlife or hunting organizations, and watershed associations
- Government and public interests, such as state and local elected officials, tribal representatives, school officials or teachers, and affected members of the public
The balance is intentional so no single interest can dominate project selection. If a regional forester cannot find enough qualified candidates, the Secretary may reduce a committee to as few as nine members (three per category), but that waiver authority expires on October 1, 2026.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 7125 – Resource Advisory Committees Without a functioning committee, a county effectively loses the ability to direct Title II spending.
Title III Certification
Counties that receive Title III funds must submit an annual certification to the Forest Service or BLM by February 1 of the year after the year in which the funds were spent. The certification must describe how the money was used and confirm that every expenditure falls within an authorized category.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 16 USC 7143 – Certification The Forest Service publishes a standardized form.11U.S. Forest Service. Certification of Title III Expenditures by Participating County Counties also owe a 45-day public notification before spending Title III funds. A 2012 GAO report found agencies do not routinely audit these certifications and have not issued detailed regulations defining allowable expenditures, which has produced inconsistent practices across counties.12U.S. Government Accountability Office. Payments to Counties: More Clarity Could Help Ensure County Expenditures Are Consistent With Key Parts of the Secure Rural Schools Act The certification is legally required regardless of whether anyone reviews it.
Current Authorization and What Happens at a Lapse
The Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025 extended the program through the end of FY 2026. Because the prior authorization had expired after FY 2023, the new law also directed the Forest Service to make back payments for FY 2024 and current-year payments for FY 2025 within 45 days of enactment. Counties that had already received the smaller 25-percent revenue-sharing payment during the lapse got the difference between that amount and the SRS payment.13National Association of Counties. Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025 Signed Into Law The law gives counties until the end of FY 2028 to start Title II projects and until the end of FY 2029 to obligate SRS funding.
The program has a track record of expiring and being retroactively reauthorized, and the consequences during each gap are real. When SRS expired after FY 2015 and again after FY 2023, payments reverted to the old revenue-based formula and produced significantly lower amounts.14Congress.gov. The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act The National Association of Counties estimated that reverting during the FY 2024 lapse reduced county funding by more than $170 million compared to what SRS would have provided.13National Association of Counties. Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025 Signed Into Law Retroactive makeup payments have followed each reauthorization, but school districts and road departments still face real uncertainty during every lapse.
With the current authorization running through FY 2026, the next potential lapse would begin in FY 2027. Counties that rely on these payments should watch for reauthorization activity well before that date.