Title 43Public LandsRelease 119-73

§451a Persons eligible for benefits

Title 43 › Chapter CHAPTER 12— - RECLAMATION AND IRRIGATION OF LANDS BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER VII— - EXCHANGE AND AMENDMENT OF FARM UNITS › § 451a

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

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

Title 43, §451a

Public Lands — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The benefits of section 451 of this title shall, and those of sections 451b to 451k of this title may, be extended by the Secretary to (a) any lawful assignee of an unpatented farm unit on a Federal irrigation project who took the assignment in good faith not knowing and not having reason to believe the farm unit to be insufficient to support a family; and (b) any resident owner of private lands on any such project whose lands shall be found to be insufficient to support a family and (i) who, apart from his ownership of the lands to be conveyed pursuant to clause (iii) hereof and apart from his having previously exhausted his homestead right, if such be the case, is eligible to enter unappropriated public lands under section 161 11 See References in Text note below. of this title, (ii) who lawfully acquired his lands as an entire farm unit under the Federal reclamation laws from the United States or, in the case of a widow, widower, heir, or devisee, from a spouse or ancestor, as the case may be, who so acquired them, and (iii) who conveys, free from all encumbrances, to the United States all of his lands served by the project or such portion thereof as the Secretary may designate.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 161 of this title, referred to in text, was repealed by Pub. L. 94–579, title VII, § 702, Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2787. The Federal reclamation laws, referred to in par. (b)(ii), are identified in section 451i of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

43 U.S.C. § 451a

Title 43Public Lands

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73