Minn. Stat. § 37.01

The State Agricultural Society is a public corporation. The conveyance to the state of the land in Ramsey County described as Southeast Quarter (SE 1/4) of Section Twenty-one (21) and East half (E 1/2) of East half (E 1/2) of Southwest Quarter (SW 1/4), Section Twenty-one (21), Township Twenty-nine (29), Range Twenty-three (23), is confirmed. Anything in that conveyance to the contrary notwithstanding, the state holds that land and any other property known and used as the "State Fairgrounds" forever for the following public purposes: (1) exhibiting under the management and control of the society, at annual fairs and at other times determined by the society, the agricultural, stock-breeding, horticultural, mining, mechanical, industrial, and other products and resources of the state, including proper exhibits and expositions of the arts, human skills, and sciences; and (2) other uses and purposes determined by the State Agricultural Society, including the leasing of parts of the State Fairgrounds. The society shall not lease any part of the State Fairgrounds if the lessee is going to compete with an existing established business of auto racing within a radius of 40 miles, except during the operation of the state fair and all other public exhibitions pertinent to expositions of human art, industry, or skill. Neither the state nor the society shall ever charge or encumber this property. Any part of the State Fairgrounds which is within the boundaries of a city or other political subdivision of the state is detached from the city or political subdivision. Nothing in this section exempts otherwise taxable property on the fairgrounds or the fairgrounds itself from real and personal property taxes pursuant to chapters 272 to 275 and 471.