Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 3B— - SOIL CONSERVATION › § 590c
Before giving benefits to land not owned or controlled by the United States, the Secretary of Agriculture may require steps to protect the land. The Secretary can require state or local laws that put permanent limits on how the land is used and prevent soil erosion, written agreements or covenants about permanent land use, and contributions of money, services, or materials to the work. The Secretary can also charge user fees for conservation-planning help that results in a conservation plan. Fees must be reasonable, based on land size or resource complexity, and cannot exceed $150 per plan. The Secretary may waive fees for beginning farmers or ranchers (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)), limited-resource farmers (as the Secretary defines), socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers (7 U.S.C. 2003(e)), to obtain an exemption under section 3812 of this title, or to meet regulatory requirements.
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Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
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Reference
Citation
16 U.S.C. § 590c
Title 16 — Conservation
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73