Title 43Public LandsRelease 119-73

§886 Survey of lands within limits of railroad grants

Title 43 › Chapter CHAPTER 21— - GRANTS IN AID OF RAILROADS AND WAGON ROADS › § 886

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Makes a $100,000 amount that was already set aside into a permanent fund to pay for surveying public lands inside areas given to railroads. The money can be used so the Secretary of the Interior can carry out the work called for by section 894. Any of the fund that is spent and then paid back to the U.S. Treasury is put back into the fund and can be used again. Railroad companies or other parties who benefit must repay survey costs as required by section 881. When repayments are paid into the Treasury, an equal amount from available Treasury money becomes immediately available for these surveys until all such lands are surveyed. Regular survey appropriations may also be used. None of this money may be used for lands granted to the State of Florida. Companies that get land by foreclosure must repay the same way.

Full Legal Text

Title 43, §886

Public Lands — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

For the survey of the public lands lying within the limits of land grants made by Congress to aid in the construction of railroads, and the selection therein of such lands as are granted therefor, to enable the Secretary of the Interior to carry out the provisions of section 894 of this title, the sum of $100,000 heretofore appropriated is made a continuing appropriation for the survey of lands within the limits of railroad land grants, and any money which shall be expended of such appropriation and reimbursed and paid into the Treasury is reappropriated, and said sum shall remain a continuing appropriation, and so often as any part of the same shall, after being expended, be reimbursed by any railroad company as hereinafter provided, the same shall be again available for the purposes aforesaid: Provided, That any portion of said sum expended for surveying such lands shall be reimbursed by the respective companies or parties in interest for whose benefit the lands are granted, according to the provisions of section 881 of this title: And provided further, That whenever there shall have been reimbursed and paid into the Treasury of the United States, by the respective companies or parties in interest, any part of said appropriation expended for surveys within such grants, there shall be immediately available, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, an amount equal to the amount so reimbursed, and the same shall be available for the survey of the public lands lying within the limits of the railroad land grants made by Congress, until all of said lands shall have been surveyed: Provided, That nothing herein contained shall be construed to prevent the use, within the limits of any railroad land grant made by Congress, of any part of any regular appropriation for surveying the public lands: Provided, That no part of the foregoing money shall be used for any land embraced in any grant to the State of Florida: And provided further, That the provisions of law requiring reimbursements to be made to the United States by railroad corporations claiming such grants shall apply equally to the successors of such railroad corporations acquiring title to their lands and other property, under decree of foreclosure of any mortgage authorized by Congress.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1980—Pub. L. 96–470 struck out provision requiring Secretary of the Interior to report to each regular session of Congress what has been done under this section.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

AppropriationsEffective
July 1, 1935, the continuing appropriation provided for in this section was repealed by act
June 26, 1934, ch. 756, § 1, 48 Stat. 1225.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

43 U.S.C. § 886

Title 43Public Lands

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73