Title 50 — War and National DefenseRelease 119-73
§3998 Land rights of servicemembers
Title 50 › Chapter CHAPTER 50— - SERVICEMEMBERS CIVIL RELIEF › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER V— - TAXES AND PUBLIC LANDS › § 3998
Summary
Servicemembers under 21 get the same rights to U.S. lands—including mining and mineral leasing—as servicemembers who are 21. Any deadline to establish residency is paused for a servicemember or their spouse until 180 days after release from military service. Applications may be verified before an official authorized under section 1044a of title 10 or under the law of the State where the land is located.
Full Legal Text
Title 50, §3998
War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Any servicemember under the age of 21 in military service shall be entitled to the same rights under the laws relating to lands owned or controlled by the United States, including mining and mineral leasing laws, as those servicemembers who are 21 years of age.
(b)Any requirement related to the establishment of a residence within a limited time shall be suspended as to entry by a servicemember in military service or the spouse of such servicemember until 180 days after termination of or release from military service.
(c)Applications for entry may be verified before a person authorized to administer oaths under section 1044a of title 10 or under the laws of the State where the land is situated.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Codification Section was formerly classified to section 568 of the former Appendix to this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.
Prior Provisions
A prior section 508 of act Oct. 17, 1940, ch. 888, art. V, 54 Stat. 1189, related to irrigation rights and suspension of residence requirements, prior to the general amendment of this Act by Pub. L. 108–189.
Amendments
2009—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 111–97 inserted “or the spouse of such servicemember” after “a servicemember in military service”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2009 Amendment Pub. L. 111–97, § 4(b), Nov. 11, 2009, 123 Stat. 3008, provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply with respect to servicemembers in military service (as defined in section 101 of such Act (50 U.S.C. App. 511) [now 50 U.S.C. 3911]) on or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 11, 2009].”
Effective Date
Section applicable to any case not final before Dec. 19, 2003, see section 3 of Pub. L. 108–189, set out as a note under section 3901 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
50 U.S.C. § 3998
Title 50 — War and National Defense
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73