Title 25 — IndiansRelease 119-73
§347 Limitations of actions for lands patented in severalty under treaties
Title 25 › Chapter CHAPTER 9— - ALLOTMENT OF INDIAN LANDS › § 347
Summary
If a person who was given land to an individual tribe member under a treaty — or that person's heirs or buyers — sues in state or federal court for the land or its rents, and the Secretary of the Interior approved the deed, the state's time limits for starting a lawsuit apply. If the suit is not filed inside that state time limit, the defendant can use that as a full defense, just like for land granted to non-tribal owners.
Full Legal Text
Title 25, §347
Indians — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
In all actions brought in any State court or United States court by any patentee, his heirs, grantees, or any person claiming under such patentee, for the possession or rents or profits of lands patented in severalty to the members of any tribe of Indians under any treaty between it and the United States of America, where a deed has been approved by the Secretary of the Interior to the land sought to be recovered, the statutes of limitations of the States in which said land is situate shall be held to apply, and it shall be a complete defense to such action that the same has not been brought within the time prescribed by the statutes of said State the same as if such action had been brought for the recovery of land patented to others than members of any tribe of Indians.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
25 U.S.C. § 347
Title 25 — Indians
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73