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Title 54 — National Park Service and Related ProgramsRelease 119-73

§320302 Permits

Title 54 › Subtitle Subtitle III— - National Preservation Programs › Chapter CHAPTER 3203— - MONUMENTS, RUINS, SITES, AND OBJECTS OF ANTIQUITY › § 320302

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Allow the Secretary, the Secretary of Agriculture, or the Secretary of the Army to give permits to institutions they find qualified to study ruins, dig at archaeological sites, or collect old artifacts on land they manage. Those permits must follow rules each Secretary sets. A permit is allowed only if the work is for a reputable museum, university, college, or other recognized science or education institution to increase knowledge, and any items collected must be kept permanently in a public museum.

Full Legal Text

Title 54, §320302

National Park Service and Related Programs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary, the Secretary of Agriculture, or the Secretary of the Army may grant a permit for the examination of ruins, the excavation of archeological sites, and the gathering of objects of antiquity on land under their respective jurisdictions to an institution that the Secretary concerned considers properly qualified to conduct the examination, excavation, or gathering, subject to such regulations as the Secretary concerned may prescribe.
(b)A permit may be granted only if—
(1)the examination, excavation, or gathering is undertaken for the benefit of a reputable museum, university, college, or other recognized scientific or educational institution, with a view to increasing the knowledge of the objects; and
(2)the gathering shall be made for permanent preservation in a public museum.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 32030216 U.S.C. 432 (1st sentence).June 8, 1906, ch. 3060, § 3, 34 Stat. 225; July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title II, § 205(a), 61 Stat. 501. In subsection (a), section 205(a) of the National Security Act of 1947 (ch. 343, 61 Stat. 501) was repealed by section 53 of the Act of August 10, 1956 (ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 676). section 1 of the Act of August 10, 1956 (70A Stat. 1), enacted Title 10, “Armed Forces”, and under sections 3010 to 3013 of title 10, the Department of the Army remains under the administrative supervision of the Secretary of the Army.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

54 U.S.C. § 320302

Title 54 — National Park Service and Related Programs

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73