Title 33Navigation and Navigable WatersRelease 119-73

§558c Rights-of-way over United States land

Title 33 › Chapter CHAPTER 12— - RIVER AND HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS GENERALLY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 558c

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Army may give permission to use U.S. land bought for river, harbor, and flood control projects for public roads and for parts of bridges like piers and abutments. He sets the rules for those permissions and must find they will help the public and will not seriously hurt the United States’ interest in the land. The Secretary can cancel the permission if the rules are broken, if the right is not used, or if it is abandoned. This does not apply to land held by the Tennessee Valley Authority under the Tennessee Valley Authority Act (16 U.S.C. 831 et seq.).

Full Legal Text

Title 33, §558c

Navigation and Navigable Waters — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Secretary of the Army is authorized and empowered, under such terms and conditions as are deemed advisable by him, to grant easements for rights-of-way for public roads and streets on and across lands acquired by the United States for river and harbor and flood control improvements including, whenever necessary, the privilege of occupying so much of said lands as may be necessary for the piers, abutments, and other portions of a bridge structure: Provided, That such rights-of-way shall be granted only upon a finding by the Secretary of the Army that the same will be in the public interest and will not substantially injure the interest of the United States in the property affected thereby: Provided further, That all or any part of such rights-of-way may be annulled and forfeited by the Secretary of the Army for failure to comply with the terms or conditions of any grant hereunder or for nonuse or for abandonment of rights granted under the authority hereof: Provided further, That the authority granted to the Secretary of the Army shall not extend to or include lands held or acquired by the Tennessee Valley Authority pursuant to the terms of the Tennessee Valley Authority Act [16 U.S.C. 831 et seq.].

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Tennessee Valley Authority Act, referred to in text, is act May 18, 1933, ch. 32, 48 Stat. 58, known as the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933, which is classified generally to chapter 12A (§ 831 et seq.) of Title 16, Conservation. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 831 of Title 16 and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Department of War designated Department of the Army and title of Secretary of War changed to Secretary of the Army by section 205(a) of act
July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title II, 61 Stat. 501. section 205(a) of act
July 26, 1947, was repealed by section 53 of act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 641. section 1 of act Aug. 10, 1956, enacted “Title 10, Armed Forces” which in sections 3010 to 3013 continued Department of the Army under administrative supervision of Secretary of the Army.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

33 U.S.C. § 558c

Title 33Navigation and Navigable Waters

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73