PRIA Logo™
Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-102

§167a Exchange of Lands and Other Property

Title 16 › CHAPTER 1 — NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES › SUBCHAPTER XX — GLACIER NATIONAL PARK › § 167a

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior can take ownership of private land, buildings, or other property inside Glacier National Park’s official boundaries (as they are now or after August 8, 1946) when an exchange is judged to be in the United States’ best interest. In return, the Secretary can give owners federally owned park property in Montana, managed by the National Park Service, that is about equal in value as the Secretary determines. The Secretary may also agree to reserve or grant limited interests (like leases or life estates) in those deeds, and any such limits count when comparing values. Any property the Secretary accepts becomes part of Glacier National Park once title is taken and follows the park’s laws. The Secretary may make rules needed to carry out these exchanges.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §167a

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to accept title to any non-Federal lands, interests in lands, buildings, or other property, real or personal, within the authorized boundaries of the Glacier National Park, as now or after August 8, 1946, established, when the acquisition by exchange of such property would, in his judgment, be in the best interests of the United States. In exchange for the non-Federal property so to be acquired, the Secretary of the Interior is authorized to convey to the grantors of such property, or to their nominees, any federally owned lands, interests in lands, buildings, or other property, real or personal, within the authorized boundaries of the Glacier National Park, located in the State of Montana and administered by the National Park Service, which are of approximately equal value, as determined by the Secretary, to the property being acquired. In order to facilitate the making of such exchanges, the Secretary of the Interior may enter into agreements for the reservation in conveyances to the United States, or for the grant in conveyances from the United States, of such estates for years, life estates, or other interests as may be consistent, in his judgment, with the accomplishment of the purposes of this section, but all such limitations shall be considered in determining the equality of the interests to be exchanged.
(b)Any property acquired pursuant to this section shall, upon acceptance of title thereto, become a part of the Glacier National Park, and shall be subject to all laws applicable to such area. The Secretary of the Interior is authorized to issue such regulations as he deems necessary for carrying out the purposes of this section.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Subsecs. (a) and (b) of this section constitute section 1 and 2, respectively, of act Aug. 8, 1946.

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 in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 167a

Title 16, Conservation

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102