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Title 25 — IndiansRelease 119-73

§373 Disposal by will of allotments held under trust

Title 25 › Chapter CHAPTER 10— - DESCENT AND DISTRIBUTION; HEIRS OF ALLOTTEE › § 373

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

People 18 or older who have any right or interest in trust land, restricted patents, Indian money, or other property held in trust by the United States may make a will for that property before the trust ends or before restrictions are removed. Those wills must follow the Indian Land Consolidation Act or an approved tribal probate code and Interior Department rules. A will is not valid unless the Secretary of the Interior approves it. The Secretary can approve before or after the person dies. If fraud is later found, the Secretary can cancel approval within one year after death, and then the property will be handled under the state law where it is located. Approval and death do not end the trust. The Secretary may sell land and use the money for heirs, remove restrictions, issue fee patents to devisees, or pay legatees in whole or in part as the Secretary thinks fit. This rule does not apply to the Five Civilized Tribes or the Osage Indians.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §373

Indians — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Any persons of the age of eighteen years or older having any right, title, or interest in any allotment held under trust or other patent containing restrictions on alienation or individual Indian moneys or other property held in trust by the United States shall have the right prior to the expiration of the trust or restrictive period, and before the issuance of a fee simple patent or the removal of restrictions, to dispose of such property by will, in accordance with the Indian Land Consolidation Act [25 U.S.C. 2201 et seq.] or a tribal probate code approved under such Act and regulations to be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior: Provided, however, That no will so executed shall be valid or have any force or effect unless and until it shall have been approved by the Secretary of the Interior: Provided further, That the Secretary of the Interior may approve or disapprove the will either before or after the death of the testator, and in case where a will has been approved and it is subsequently discovered that there has been fraud in connection with the execution or procurement of the will the Secretary of the Interior is authorized within one year after the death of the testator to cancel the approval of the will, and the property of the testator shall thereupon descend or be distributed in accordance with the laws of the State wherein the property is located: Provided further, That the approval of the will and the death of the testator shall not operate to terminate the trust or restrictive period, but the Secretary of the Interior may, in his discretion, cause the lands to be sold and the money derived therefrom, or so much thereof as may be necessary, used for the benefit of the heir or heirs entitled thereto, remove the restrictions, or cause patent in fee to be issued to the devisee or devisees, and pay the moneys to the legatee or legatees either in whole or in part from time to time as he may deem advisable, or use it for their benefit: Provided also, That this section and section 372 of this title shall not apply to the Five Civilized Tribes or the Osage Indians.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Indian Land Consolidation Act, referred to in text, is title II of Pub. L. 97–459, Jan. 12, 1983, 96 Stat. 2517, which is classified generally to chapter 24 (§ 2201 et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 2201 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

2000—Pub. L. 106–462 substituted “with the Indian Land Consolidation Act or a tribal probate code approved under such Act and

Regulations

to be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior:” for “with

Regulations

to be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior:”. 1987—Pub. L. 100–153 which directed amendment of this section by substituting “the age of eighteen years or older” for “the age of twenty-one years, or over” was executed by substituting the new language for “the age of twenty-one years” as the probable intent of Congress because the words “, or over” did not appear. 1913—Act Feb. 14, 1913, amended section generally.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 373

Title 25 — Indians

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73