Title 43 › Chapter CHAPTER 12— - RECLAMATION AND IRRIGATION OF LANDS BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VII— - EXCHANGE AND AMENDMENT OF FARM UNITS › § 451a
The Secretary must give the benefits in section 451, and may give the benefits in sections 451b–451k, to two kinds of people. One is a person who lawfully took an assignment of an unpatented farm unit on a federal irrigation project in good faith and did not know, and had no reason to believe, the unit could not support a family. The other is a resident owner on such a project whose land is found unable to support a family, if they (1) apart from the land they will convey and apart from any used homestead right, would be eligible to enter unappropriated public lands under section 161, (2) acquired the land as an entire farm unit under the Federal reclamation laws from the United States (or, if a widow, widower, heir, or devisee, from the spouse or ancestor who did), and (3) convey to the United States, free of liens or claims, all their project-served land or the portion the Secretary designates.
Full Legal Text
Public Lands — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
43 U.S.C. § 451a
Title 43 — Public Lands
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73