Title 30 — Mineral Lands and MiningRelease 119-73

§1461 Prohibited acts

Title 30 › Chapter CHAPTER 26— - DEEP SEABED HARD MINERAL RESOURCES › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - ENFORCEMENT AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS › § 1461

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

People who are U.S. citizens, foreign nationals on vessels registered or numbered with the United States, or people under U.S. jurisdiction under the reciprocal agreement in section 1428(e) must not do seven kinds of acts. They must not break any rule or violate permit terms under this chapter; keep exploring or recovering minerals after a permit is revoked or suspended or fail to change an activity when required; refuse to let a federal officer board a U.S.-registered or treaty-authorized vessel for an inspection; attack or block such an officer; resist a lawful arrest for these offenses; trade in or hold hard minerals taken or kept in violation of the chapter; or help someone avoid arrest when you know they broke these rules.

Full Legal Text

Title 30, §1461

Mineral Lands and Mining — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

It is unlawful for any person who is a United States citizen, or a foreign national on board a vessel documented or numbered under the laws of the United States, or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States under a reciprocating state agreement negotiated under section 1428(e) of this title—

(1)to violate any provision of this chapter, any regulation issued under this chapter, or any term, condition, or restriction of any license or permit issued to such person under this chapter;

(2)to engage in exploration or commercial recovery after the revocation, or during the period of suspension, of an applicable license or permit issued under this chapter, to engage in a particular exploration or commercial recovery activity during the period such activity has been suspended under this chapter, or to fail to modify a particular exploration or commercial recovery activity for which modification was required under this chapter;

(3)to refuse to permit any Federal officer or employee authorized to monitor or enforce the provisions of this chapter, as provided in section 1424 and 1464 of this title, to board a vessel documented or numbered under the laws of the United States, or any vessel for which such boarding is authorized by a treaty or executive agreement, for purposes of conducting any search or inspection in connection with the monitoring or enforcement of this chapter or any regulation, term, condition, or restriction referred to in paragraph (1);

(4)to forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with any such authorized officer or employee in the conduct of any search or inspection described in paragraph (3);

(5)to resist a lawful arrest for any act prohibited by this section;

(6)to ship, transport, offer for sale, sell, purchase, import, export, or have custody, control, or possession of any hard mineral resource recovered, processed, or retained in violation of this chapter or any regulation, term, condition, or restriction referred to in paragraph (1); or

(7)to interfere with, delay, or prevent, by any means, the apprehension or arrest of any other person subject to this section knowing that such other person has committed any act prohibited by this section.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

30 U.S.C. § 1461

Title 30 — Mineral Lands and Mining

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73