842.03.Partition when state part owner; service of process.

Land is sometimes held jointly by the state and private individuals as tenants in common. Section 842.03 confirms that a partition case against the state runs on the same track as one against any other co-owner: the same kind of proceedings, the same kind of orders, and the same kind of judgment. Ownership by a government body does not pull the case into a different procedure.

What does change is how the state is reached and represented. The summons and every notice that must be served go to the attorney general, who appears on the state’s behalf and looks after its interest in the litigation. That gives the state a single, identifiable point of contact for a partition suit rather than requiring service on some other state office or official.

Cost-sharing also runs through a distinct channel. Once the court sets the proportion of costs and expenses the state must bear, the attorney general certifies that amount, and it is paid out of the state treasury on a warrant from the department of administration. A private cotenant pays their share directly; the state’s share moves through this certification and warrant process instead.