Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-102
§201 Establishment; Boundaries; Trespassers; Entries Under Land Laws; Indemnity Lands
Title 16 › CHAPTER 1 — NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES › SUBCHAPTER XXII — LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK › § 201
Summary
Certain tracts of land in California, laid out by detailed township and section lines using the Mount Diablo meridian, are set aside as Lassen Volcanic National Park. Those lands are taken out of the usual U.S. land laws for settlement, occupancy, sale, or disposal. Anyone who moves onto or occupies these lands after the park was created is a trespasser and can be removed, unless they have one of the listed older rights. Any valid claim, location, or entry under U.S. land laws that existed before August 9, 1916 stays valid and the holder can continue to use that land. Private, municipal, or state lands inside the park that were owned before August 9, 1916 are not affected by this rule or by sections 202 and 203. Lands inside the park that on August 9, 1916 were owned or claimed by a railroad or other corporation with a right to make indemnity selections cannot be used later as the basis for such indemnity selections in any state or territory.
Full Legal Text
Title 16, §201
Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
All those certain tracts, pieces, or parcels of land lying and being situate in the State of California and within the boundaries particularly described as follows, to wit: Beginning at the northeast corner of section 3, township 31, range 6 east, Mount Diablo meridian, California; thence southerly to the southeast corner of said section; thence easterly to the northeast corner of the northwest quarter of section 11, said township; thence southerly to the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of section 14, said township; thence easterly to the northeast corner of the northwest quarter of section 24, said township; thence southerly to the southeast corner of the southwest quarter of section 25, said township; thence westerly to the southwest corner of section 26, said township; thence southerly to the southeast corner of section 34, said township; thence westerly along the sixth standard parallel north, allowing for the proper offsets, to the northeast corner of section 3, township 30 north, range 6 east; thence southerly to the southeast corner of section 27, said township; thence westerly to the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of section 28, said township; thence northerly to the northwest corner of the southeast quarter of said section; thence westerly to the southwest corner of the northwest quarter of said section; thence northerly to the northwest corner of said section; thence westerly to the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of section 20, said township; thence northerly to the northwest corner of the southeast quarter of said section; thence westerly to the range line between ranges 5 and 6 east; thence southerly along said range line to the southeast corner of township 30 north, range 5 east; thence westerly along the township line between townships 29 and 30 north to the southwest corner of section 33, township 30 north, range 5 east; thence northerly to the northwest corner of said section; thence westerly to the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of section 29, said township; thence northerly to the northwest corner of the southeast quarter of said section; thence westerly to the southwest corner of the northwest quarter of said section; thence northerly to the northwest corner of said section; thence westerly to the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of section 20, township 30 north, range 4 east; thence northerly to the northwest corner of the southeast quarter of section 8, said township; thence easterly to the northeast corner of the southwest quarter of section 9, said township; thence northerly to the township line between townships 30 and 31 north; thence easterly along the sixth standard parallel north, allowing for the proper offsets, to the southwest corner of section 33, township 31 north, range 4 east; thence northerly to the northwest corner of section 21, said township; thence easterly to the range line between ranges 4 and 5 east; thence northerly along said range line to the northwest corner of fractional section 18, township 31 north, range 5 east; thence easterly to the southwest corner of section 12, said township; thence northerly to the northwest corner of section 1, said township; thence easterly along the township line between townships 31 and 32 north to the northeast corner of section 3, township 31 north, range 6 east, the place of beginning, are reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, disposal, or sale, under the laws of the United States, and said tracts are dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the United States under the name and to be known and designated as the Lassen Volcanic National Park; and all persons who shall locate or settle upon or occupy the same, or any part thereof, except as hereinafter provided, shall be considered trespassers and be removed therefrom. Nothing herein contained shall affect any valid claim, location, or entry existing under the land laws of the United States before August 9, 1916, or the rights of any such claimant, locator, or entryman to the full use and enjoyment of his land. No lands located within the park boundaries held prior to August 9, 1916, in private, municipal, or State ownership shall be affected by or subject to the provisions of this section and section 202 and 203 of this title. No lands within the limits of said park created belonging to or claimed by any railroad or other corporation having or claiming on August 9, 1916, the right of indemnity selection by virtue of any law or contract whatsoever shall be used as a basis for indemnity selection in any State or Territory whatsoever for any loss sustained by reason of the creation of said park.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1972—Pub. L. 92–510 struck out provision that “The United States Reclamation Service may enter upon and utilize for flowage or other purposes any area within said park which may be necessary for the development and maintenance of a Government reclamation project.” 1931—Act Jan. 26, 1931, forbade acquisition of rights of way for steam and electric railways, automobiles or wagon roads within the park.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Acceptance of Certain LandAct May 21, 1928, ch. 658, 45 Stat. 644, provided that: “The Secretary of the Interior be, and he is hereby, authorized to accept on behalf of the United States, title to the northeast quarter northeast quarter section 27, township 30 north, range 5 east, Mount Diablo base and meridian, situate within the exterior boundaries of Lassen Volcanic National Park, from the State of California, and in exchange therefor may patent an area of unreserved, vacant, nonmineral public land of equal value situate in the same State. The land which may be acquired by the United States under this Act shall, upon acceptance of title, become a part of Lassen Volcanic National Park.”
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. § 201
Title 16, Conservation
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102