(a) An applicant for a homestead entry permit shall
- (1) submit proof acceptable to the commissioner that the applicant is at least 18 years of age and has been a resident of the state for not less than one year immediately before the date of application;
- (2) pay a fee of $5 per acre according to the description provided by the applicant if the entry is on land classified agricultural, or $10 per acre if the entry is on land not classified agricultural;
- (3) agree to comply with the requirements of AS 38.09.050;
- (4) certify that the corners of the land entered have been staked and the boundaries have been flagged;
- (5) assume full responsibility for the accuracy of the description of the land filed with the commissioner under AS 38.09.020(b).
- (b) Except as provided in (c) of this section, an applicant may not hold more than one homestead entry permit at one time and may not receive a patent to more than one homestead entry in a lifetime.
(c) The homestead entry permit may not be assigned, conveyed, or in any manner transferred except
- (1) by testate or intestate succession;
- (2) to a spouse during marriage;
- (3) by order of a court as part of a divorce settlement;
- (4) to either a member of the immediate family or a grantee of the applicant in the case of an extreme emergency or illness which disables the applicant; or
- (5) after the approval of the commissioner, by an exchange between parties in the same homestead area.