Land Banks
A land bank is a public entity with unique powers to put vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties back to productive use according to community goals.
A land bank’s primary purpose is to acquire properties that some call “blighted” and temporarily hold and take care of them until they can be transferred to new, responsible owners. State laws give land banks their unique powers.
While these powers vary state to state, ideally land banks can: acquire tax-foreclosed property cost-effectively; flexibly sell property to a responsible buyer or developer, driven not by the highest price but by the outcome that most closely aligns with community goals; extinguish liens and clear title; and hold property tax exempt.
In the last decade, over 300 land banks and land banking programs have been created to return collective purpose to vacant and problem properties.
As the foremost national resources for land banks, Community Progress is proud to lead the National Land Bank Network (NLBN), which unites land bank leaders to share knowledge, network, and leverage their strengths to better inform policy change, strengthen land banking as a tool, and build a national community of practice.
Download our three Land Bank One Pagers:
Progress Points - Land Banks »
Progress Points - Land Banks, Demonstrating the Positive Impacts on Communities »
Progress Points - Land Banks and Community Land Trusts »
Also see:
Land Banks FAQ »
Land Bank Resources
National Map of Land Banks
Get Inspired! See where land banks exist across the country by exploring our national map of land banks.
Land Banks + Community Land Trusts Map
Discover where land banks, land banking programs, and CLTs are located across the U.S. and where they may have shared service areas.
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For more information on how Community Progress can help advance your land bank work, check out: our services, or send us a message to request help.
More than 250 land banks have been launched across the United States