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Title 43 — Public LandsRelease 119-73

§99 Repayment of moneys deposited and covered into Treasury

Title 43 › Chapter CHAPTER 4— - DISTRICT LAND OFFICES › § 99

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

If you paid money to an officer chosen by the Secretary of the Interior (or the earlier officer) and that money was sent to the U.S. Treasury under section 91 or 93, you can get it back by showing proof of payment to the Government Accountability Office. The GAO will settle the claim and issue a government payment order. If the money stays unclaimed in the Treasury for more than five years, you lose the right to recover it. A person applying to buy homestead land for cash does not have to pay at the time of application. They must pay within ten days after the designated officer approves the application and notifies them.

Full Legal Text

Title 43, §99

Public Lands — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Any person or persons who shall have made payment to an officer designated by the Secretary of the Interior or to his predecessor, and the money shall have been covered into the Treasury pursuant to section 91 or 93 of this title, shall, on presenting satisfactory evidence of such payment to the Government Accountability Office, be entitled to have the same returned by the settlement of an account and the issuing of a warrant in his favor according to the practice in other cases of authorized and liquidated claims against the United States: Provided, That when such moneys shall remain unclaimed in the Treasury for more than five years the right to recover the same shall be barred: Provided, That no homestead entryman shall be required to make payment of the purchase money on any application to make a cash entry until the same shall have been approved by the officer designated by the Secretary of the Interior, but such payment shall be made within ten days after notice of such approval.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification This section, as originally enacted, related to receivers of public moneys for land districts. The office of receiver was consolidated with that of register by acts Mar. 3, 1925, and Oct. 28, 1921, under which the office of receiver was abolished. See, also,

Transfer of Functions

note below.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

and

Transfer of Functions

“Government Accountability Office” substituted in text for “General Accounting Office” pursuant to section 8(b) of Pub. L. 108–271, set out as a note under section 702 of Title 31, Money and Finance, which redesignated the General Accounting Office and any references thereto as the Government Accountability Office. Previously, “General Accounting Office” substituted in text for “proper officer of the Treasury Department” pursuant to act June 10, 1921, which transferred all powers and duties of the Comptroller, six auditors, and certain other employees of the Treasury to the General Accounting Office. See section 701 et seq. of Title 31.

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. Words “officer designated by the Secretary of the Interior” substituted for “register” 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. § 99

Title 43 — Public Lands

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73