Title 43 — Public LandsRelease 119-73
§761 Repayment of excess of deposits to cover cost of surveys of mineral lands
Title 43 › Chapter CHAPTER 18— - SURVEY OF PUBLIC LANDS › § 761
Summary
Treasury must repay any extra or unused deposits people paid for surveys of mineral lands. Repayments cover amounts above actual costs and related expenses. After the work ends or is abandoned, the local agency must certify the account and the Interior Secretary (or a designee) must approve it. Payments go to the depositor or their legal representative and are permanently available for that use.
Full Legal Text
Title 43, §761
Public Lands — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to pay, out of the moneys heretofore or hereafter covered into the Treasury from deposits made by individuals to cover cost of work performed and to be performed in the offices of such agency as the Secretary of the Interior may designate in connection with the survey of mineral lands, any excess in the amount deposited over and above the actual cost of the work performed, including all expenses incident thereto for which the deposits were severally made or the whole of any unused deposit; and such sums, as the several cases may be, shall be deemed to be annually and permanently appropriated for that purpose. Such repayments shall be made to the person or persons who made the several deposits, or to his or their legal representatives, after the completion or abandonment of the work for which the deposits were made, and upon an account certified by the office of such agency of the district in which the mineral land surveyed, or sought to be surveyed, is situated and approved by the Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Abolition of Office of Surveyor General and
Transfer of Functions
Act Mar. 3, 1925, abolished office of surveyor general and transferred administration of all activities in charge of surveyors general to Field Surveying Service under jurisdiction of United States Supervisor of Surveys.
Executive Documents
Transfer of Functions
For
Transfer of Functions
of other officers, employees, and agencies of Department of the Interior, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Interior, with power to delegate, see Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1262, set out under section 1451 of this title. References to “the United States Field Surveying Service” and “the Field Surveying Service” changed to “such agency as the Secretary of the Interior may designate”, and “the office of such agency”, respectively; and “Commissioner of the General Land Office” changed to “Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate”, on authority of section 403 of Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1946. See note set out under section 1 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
43 U.S.C. § 761
Title 43 — Public Lands
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73