Title 40Public Buildings, Property, and WorksRelease 119-73

§8101 Supervision of public buildings and grounds in District of Columbia not otherwise provided for by law

Title 40 › Subtitle SUBTITLE II— - PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND WORKS › Part PART D— - PUBLIC BUILDINGS, GROUNDS, AND PARKS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA › Chapter CHAPTER 81— - ADMINISTRATIVE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - GENERAL › § 8101

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Administrator of General Services must run public buildings and grounds in Washington, D.C., unless another law assigns them to someone else. If someone is illegally on that property, the Administrator or the on-site officer must write to the U.S. marshal, who must remove the trespasser and return control to the responsible official.

Full Legal Text

Title 40, §8101

Public Buildings, Property, and Works — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Under regulations the President prescribes, the Administrator of General Services shall have charge of the public buildings and grounds in the District of Columbia, except those buildings and grounds which otherwise are provided for by law.
(b)If the Administrator, or the officer under the direction of the Administrator who is in immediate charge of those public buildings and grounds, decides that an individual is unlawfully occupying any part of that public land, the Administrator or officer in charge shall notify the United States marshal for the District of Columbia in writing of the unlawful occupation.
(c)The marshal shall have the trespasser ejected from the public land and shall restore possession of the land to the officer charged by law with the custody of the land.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 810140:19.R.S. § 1797; Apr. 28, 1902, ch. 594, [§] 1 (6th par. on p. 152), 32 Stat. 152. In this chapter, the words “Administrator of General Services” are substituted for “Chief of Engineers” [subsequently changed to “Director of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital” because of section 3 of the Act of February 26, 1925 (ch. 339, 43 Stat. 983), “Director of the National Park Service” because of section 2 of Executive Order No. 6166 (eff. June 10, 1933) and the Act of March 2, 1934 (ch. 38, 48 Stat. 389), and “Public Buildings Administrator” because of section 301 and 303 of Reorganization Plan No. I of 1939 (eff. July 1, 1939, 53 Stat. 1426, 1427)] because of section 103(a) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (ch. 288, 63 Stat. 380), which is restated as section 303(c) [303(b)] of the revised title. In subsection (a), the words “through the War Department” in section 1797 of the Revised Statutes are omitted because of section 3 of the Act of February 26, 1925 (ch. 339, 43 Stat. 983). In subsection (b), the words “If the Administrator . . . decides” are substituted for “when it shall be made to appear to the said Administrator” for clarity. The words “in the District of Columbia” are omitted as unnecessary. The words “the Administrator and the officer in charge” are substituted for “the officer in charge” for clarity.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

40 U.S.C. § 8101

Title 40Public Buildings, Property, and Works

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73