URA acts as agent for the State in carrying out land sales for commercial, hotel, private residential and industrial developments. The objective of the land sales programme is to meet the demand for properties by the private sector, supporting the economic growth and implementing key development plans of Singapore. Sites are usually sold on 99-year leases for commercial, hotel and private residential developments whereas leases for industrial sites are usually for 60 years. Other lease tenures may be offered depending on the specific sites, e.g. some commercial sites may be offered for leases ranging from 15 years to 60 years.
The release of state land is carried out through the Government Land Sales (GLS) programme. Each programme is planned for and announced every 6 months. The GLS sites are released through two main systems - the reserve list and the confirmed list.