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Read. Follow. Verify.Missouri House Bill 2277 Restricts Foreign Real Property Ownership and Sets Penalties
Last action · May 15, 2026: Referred: Emerging Issues(H)Sponsor: Will Jobe
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What This Bill Would Do
Beginning August 28, 2026, aliens and foreign businesses are prohibited from acquiring agricultural land if total aggregate foreign ownership exceeds one percent of the state's total agricultural land, and foreign adversaries, terrorist organizations, and specially designated global terrorists are banned from possessing or acquiring any land in Missouri. The legislation requires agricultural land transfers by foreign entities to be submitted to the Department of Agriculture and Attorney General at least thirty days prior to finalization for review. Violations can lead to court-ordered , forced public land sales, and severe civil penalties up to twenty-five percent of the land's fair market value.
Property owners, foreign investors, and agricultural businesses face strict new pre-acquisition review mandates, mandatory reporting timelines, and the risk of court-ordered property if transactions breach statutory ownership caps or involve designated foreign entities.
- Will Jobe serves as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives representing District 021. context
- Missouri statutory law regulates the acquisition and holding of agricultural and real property by foreign individuals and entities. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Aliens and Foreign Businesses
Foreign entities and non-citizens face acquisition caps, mandatory thirty-day pre-transfer review periods, reporting mandates, and potential divestiture or civil penalties.
Missouri Department of Agriculture
The department must receive and analyze land transfer submissions, promulgate administrative rules, and report findings to the governor and general assembly.
Missouri Attorney General
The attorney general must review proposed land transfers, investigate suspected violations, institute court actions for divestiture, and recover civil penalties.
Key Facts
- Beginning August 28, 2026, no alien or foreign business may acquire agricultural land if total aggregate alien and foreign ownership exceeds one percent of total agricultural land in Missouri.
- Sales or transfers of agricultural land by aliens or foreign businesses must be submitted to the Department of Agriculture and the Attorney General at least thirty calendar days prior to finalization.
- The attorney general must review land transfer submissions within thirty days to approve or reject the transaction; lack of action defaults to approval.
- All land acquired in violation of the agricultural land restrictions is subject to court action and divestiture.
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- Property owners ordered by a court to divest must comply within two years, after which un-divested lands will be ordered sold at a public foreclosure sale.
- Beginning August 28, 2026, foreign adversaries, foreign terrorist organizations, and specially designated global terrorists are completely prohibited from possessing or acquiring land in Missouri.
- Foreign persons acquiring or transferring agricultural land interests must submit a detailed report to the director and attorney general within thirty days of the transaction.
- Any foreign person failing to file a required report is liable to the state for a civil penalty up to twenty-five percent of the fair market value of the land interest.
- Agricultural land now owned in Missouri by aliens or foreign businesses is exempt from the restrictions so long as it remains held by present owners or their direct descendants.
- Leases on agricultural land for terms of ten years or longer, or renewable leases totaling ten years, constitute an acquisition of agricultural land under the law.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a foreign entity acquires agricultural land in violation of the one percent cap?
Are existing foreign landowners in Missouri affected by the new restrictions?
What is the penalty for failing to file a required report on land acquisitions or transfers?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
4 actions- May 15, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Emerging Issues(H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 8, 2025HouseIntroducedPrefiled (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expanded Oversight and Complete Bans
The bill shifts from simple reporting requirements to active pre-acquisition review by the Attorney General and total ownership bans for designated foreign adversaries.
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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