(a) Clearing of land.

(1) For purposes of section 182, the term clearing of land includes (but is not limited to):

(i) The removal of rocks, stones, trees, stumps, brush or other natural impediments to the use of the land in farming through blasting, cutting, burning, bulldozing, plowing, or in any other way;

(ii) The treatment or moving of earth, including the construction, repair or removal of nondepreciable earthen structures, such as dikes or levies, if the purpose of such treatment or moving of earth is to protect, level, contour, terrace, or condition the land so as to permit its use as farming land; and

(iii) The diversion of streams and watercourses, including the construction of nondepreciable drainage facilities, provided that the purpose is to remove or divert water from the land so as to make it available for use in farming.

(2) The following are examples of land clearing activities:

(i) The cutting of trees, the blasting of the resulting stumps, and the burning of the residual undergrowth;

(ii) The leveling of land so as to permit irrigation or planting;

(iii) The removal of salt or other minerals which might inhibit cultivation of the soil;

(iv) The draining and filling in of a swamp or marsh; and

(v) The diversion of a stream from one watercourse to another.

(b) Expenditures not allowed as a deduction under section 182.

(1) Section 182 applies only to expenditures for nondepreciable items. Accordingly, a taxpayer may not deduct expenditures for the purchase, construction, installation, or improvement of structures, appliances, or facilities which are of a character which is subject to the allowance for depreciation under section 167 and the regulations thereunder. Expenditures in respect of such depreciable property include those for materials, supplies, wages, fuel, freight, and the moving of earth, paid or incurred with respect to tanks, reservoirs, pipes, conduits, canals, dams, wells, or pumps constructed of masonry, concrete, tile, metal, wood, or other nonearthen material.

(2) Expenditures which are deductible without regard to section 182 are not deductible under section 182. Thus, such expenditures are deductible without being subject to the limitations imposed by section 182(b) and §1.182-5. For example, section 182 does not apply to the ordinary and necessary expenses incurred in the business of farming which are deductible under section 162 even though they might otherwise be considered to be clearing of land expenditures. Section 182 also does not apply to interest (deductible under section 163) nor to taxes (deductible under section 164). Similarly, section 182 does not apply to any expenditures (whether or not currently deductible) paid or incurred for the purpose of soil or water conservation in respect of land used in farming, or for the prevention of erosion of land used in farming, within the meaning of section 175 and the regulations thereunder, nor to expenditures deductible under section 180 and the regulations thereunder, relating to expenditures for fertilizer, etc.

(c) Depreciation. In addition to expenditures for the activities described in paragraph (a) of this section, there also shall be treated as an expenditure to which section 182 applies a reasonable allowance for depreciation not otherwise deductible on property of the taxpayer which is used in the clearing of land for the purpose of making such land suitable for use in farming, provided the property is property which, if used in a trade or business, would be subject to the allowance for depreciation under section 167. Depreciation allowable as a deduction under section 182 is limited to the portion of depreciation which is attributable to the use of the property in the clearing of land. The depreciation shall be computed in accordance with section 167 and the regulations thereunder. To the extent an amount representing a reasonable allowance for depreciation with respect to property used in clearing land is treated as an expenditure to which section 182 applies, such depreciation shall, for purposes of chapter 1 of the Code, be treated as an amount allowed under section 167 for depreciation. Thus, if a deduction is allowed for depreciation under section 182 in respect of property used in clearing land, proper adjustment to the basis of the property so used shall be made under section 1016(a).

[T.D. 6794, 30 FR 791, Jan. 26, 1965]