§102901 Conveyance of property and interests in property in System units or related areas

Summary

The Secretary may sell or lease property the government owns inside a System unit or related area, except inside national parks or national monuments of scientific significance. The use must fit the area’s purpose. Sales must be to the highest bidder under rules the Secretary sets and must be at least the fair market value the Secretary determines. If the sale is proposed within 2 years of the government’s purchase, the last owner has 30 days after written notice to ask to buy it; if they do, the Secretary must sell to them for the highest bid price. The Secretary may also swap non‑Federal land inside a unit for Federal land the Secretary controls in the same State, but not timberland under a sustained‑yield harvest program. A State, local government, or interested party can request a public hearing before a swap. Values must be roughly equal, or made equal with cash from funds for acquiring land for the area. Money from any sale goes to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.