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Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-110

§1723 Public Lands Corps Program

Title 16 › CHAPTER 37 — YOUTH CONSERVATION CORPS AND PUBLIC LANDS CORPS › SUBCHAPTER II — PUBLIC LANDS CORPS › § 1723

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates a "Public Lands Corps" in the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce to do conservation work. Other federal departments can set up their own corps too, if they follow the same rules. The Corps is made up of people aged 16 through 30 and veterans age 35 or younger who the Secretary enrolls. Enrollees must meet the requirements in 42 U.S.C. 12591(a), paragraphs (1), (2), (4), and (5). The Secretary can enroll people without following normal federal civil service rules and may give preference to those who are economically, physically, or educationally disadvantaged. The Secretary may hire qualified youth or conservation corps to do projects and may favor local corps with many disadvantaged members, especially for priority work. The Corps and partner corps can carry out conservation projects that the agencies are already allowed to do on public lands. With tribal approval they can work on Indian lands, and with approval from Hawaii’s Department of Hawaiian Home Lands they can work on Hawaiian home lands. They can also take part in federal disaster prevention or relief on federal, state, local, or private land. Project choices should favor long-term public benefit, teaching work ethic and public service, being labor intensive, starting quickly, and offering learning opportunities. All projects must follow the laws, policies, and management plans for the lands involved. Work on property under the General Services Administration needs that agency’s express permission.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §1723

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Establishment of Public Lands Corps
(1)In general
There is established in the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Commerce a corps, to be known as the “Public Lands Corps”.
(2)No effect on other agencies
Nothing in this subsection precludes the establishment of a public lands corps by the head of a Federal department or agency other than a department described in paragraph (1), in accordance with this subchapter.
(b)Participants
The Corps shall consist of individuals between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, and veterans age 35 or younger who are enrolled as participants in the Corps by the Secretary. To be eligible for enrollment in the Corps, an individual shall satisfy the criteria specified in paragraphs (1), (2), (4), and (5) of section 12591(a) of title 42. The Secretary may enroll such individuals in the Corps without regard to the civil service and classification laws, rules, or regulations of the United States. The Secretary may establish a preference for the enrollment in the Corps of individuals who are economically, physically, or educationally disadvantaged.
(c)Qualified youth or conservation corps
(1)In general
The Secretary is authorized to enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with any qualified youth or conservation corps to perform appropriate conservation projects referred to in subsection (d).
(2)Preference
(A)In general
For purposes of entering into contracts and cooperative agreements under paragraph (1), the Secretary may give preference to qualified youth or conservation corps located in a specific area that have a substantial portion of members who are economically, physically, or educationally disadvantaged to carry out projects within the area.
(B)Priority projects
In carrying out priority projects in a specific area, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, give preference to qualified youth or conservation corps located in that specific area that have a substantial portion of members who are economically, physically, or educationally disadvantaged.
(d)Projects to be carried out
(1)In general
The Secretary may utilize the Corps or any qualified youth or conservation corps to carry out appropriate conservation projects which the Secretary is authorized to carry out under other authority of law on public lands.
(2)Projects on Indian lands
Appropriate conservation projects may also be carried out under this subchapter on Indian lands with the approval of the Indian tribe involved and on Hawaiian home lands with the approval of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands of the State of Hawaii.
(3)Disaster prevention or relief projects
The Secretary may authorize appropriate conservation projects and other appropriate projects to be carried out on Federal, State, local, or private land as part of a Federal disaster prevention or relief effort.
(e)Preference for certain projects
In selecting appropriate conservation projects to be carried out under this subchapter, the Secretary shall give preference to those projects which—
(1)will provide long-term benefits to the public;
(2)will instill in the enrollee involved a work ethic and a sense of public service;
(3)will be labor intensive;
(4)can be planned and initiated promptly; and
(5)will provide academic, experiential, or environmental education opportunities.
(f)Consistency
Each appropriate conservation project carried out under this subchapter on eligible service lands shall be consistent with the provisions of law and policies relating to the management and administration of such lands, with all other applicable provisions of law, and with all management, operational, and other plans and documents which govern the administration of the area.
(g)Effect
Nothing in this section authorizes the use of the Public Lands Corps for projects on or impacting real property owned by, operated by, or within the custody, control, or administrative jurisdiction of the Administrator of General Services without the express permission of the Administrator of General Services.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This subchapter, referred to in subsec. (a)(2), was in the original “this Act”, and was translated as reading “this title”, meaning title II of Pub. L. 91–378, known as the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Amendments

2019—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–9, § 9003(b)(1), added subsec. (a) and struck out former subsec. (a). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “There is hereby established in the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture a Public Lands Corps.” Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–9, § 9003(b)(2), substituted “individuals between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive, and veterans age 35 or younger” for “individuals between the ages of 16 and 30, inclusive,” and “paragraphs (1), (2), (4), and (5) of section 12591(a) of title 42” for “section 12591(b) of title 42”. Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 116–9, § 9003(b)(3), added subsec. (g). 2016—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–289 substituted “30” for “25”. 2005—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(g)(1)(A), substituted “Corps by the Secretary” for “Corps by the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Agriculture” and “Secretary may” for “Secretaries may” in two places. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(b), designated existing provisions as par. (1), inserted heading, substituted “The Secretary is” for “The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture are”, and added par. (2). Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(c), designated first sentence as par. (1), inserted heading, and substituted “The Secretary may” for “The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture may each” and “the Secretary” for “such Secretary”, designated second sentence as par. (2) and inserted heading, added par. (3), and struck out former third sentence which read “The Secretaries may also authorize appropriate conservation projects and other appropriate projects to be carried out on Federal, State, local, or private lands as part of disaster prevention or relief efforts in response to an emergency or major disaster declared by the President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.).” Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 109–154, § 2(g)(1)(B), substituted “Secretary” for “Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture” in introductory provisions.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective Oct. 1, 1993, see section 123 of Pub. L. 103–82, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1993 Amendment note under section 1701 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 1723

Title 16, Conservation

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110