Title 16, ConservationRelease 119-102
§441a Boundaries
Title 16 › CHAPTER 1 — NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES › SUBCHAPTER LXI — NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MONUMENTS AND MEMORIALS › § 441a
Summary
Defines the land that belongs to Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The park boundary is a closed line that begins at the northeast corner of section 13 in township 3 south, range 18 east on the Black Hills meridian. The boundary then follows many short straight segments — heading west, south, north, and east — using distances like 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile, 3/4 mile, 1 mile, and some longer stretches (up to 8 miles). Those segments connect various section corners in townships 2 and 3 south and ranges 14 through 18 east, and finally return to the starting point to enclose the park.
Full Legal Text
Title 16, §441a
Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The areas to be included in said Badlands National Park are situated in the State of South Dakota and lie within the boundaries particularly described as follows: Beginning at the northeast corner section 13, township 3 south, range 18 east, Black Hills meridian; thence west one-fourth mile; thence south one mile; thence west one-fourth mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence west one mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence west one-fourth mile; thence north one mile; thence west one and one-fourth miles; thence north one-half mile; thence west three miles, to the northwest corner section 18, township 3 south, range 18 east, Black Hills meridian. Thence north one-fourth mile; thence west one-half mile; thence north one-fourth mile; thence west three-fourths mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence west one-fourth mile; thence north one-fourth mile; thence west one-fourth mile; thence north one-fourth mile; thence west three-fourths mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence west one-half mile; thence south one-half mile; thence west one mile; thence north one-fourth mile; thence west one-fourth mile; thence north one-fourth mile; thence west one and one-fourth miles; thence north one-fourth mile; thence west one-fourth mile; thence north three-fourths mile; thence west one and one-fourth miles; thence north one-half mile, to the northeast corner section 2, township 3 south, range 16 east, Black Hills meridian. Thence west one-half mile; thence north one mile; thence west one-fourth mile; thence north one-half mile; thence west three-fourths mile; thence north one-half mile; thence west one-half mile; thence north two miles; thence west eight miles; thence south one-half mile; thence west one mile; thence north one-half mile, to the northeast corner section 13, township 2 south, range 14 east, Black Hills meridian. Thence west one mile; thence south one mile; thence east one-half mile; thence south one-half mile; thence west one-half mile; thence south two and one-half miles; thence east one and one-fourth miles; thence south one mile; thence east three-fourths mile, to the northeast corner section 7, township 3 south, range 15 east, Black Hills meridian. Thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one-fourth mile; thence south one-half mile; thence west one-fourth mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence west one mile; thence south one and three-fourths miles; thence east one mile; thence north three-fourths mile; thence east two miles; thence north one-half mile; thence east three-fourths mile; thence north one-fourth mile; thence east one-half mile; thence north three-fourths mile; thence west one-fourth mile; thence north three-fourths mile; thence west one-fourth mile; thence north one-fourth mile; thence west one-fourth mile; thence north one-fourth mile; thence east one-fourth mile; thence north one-half mile; thence east one mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one and three-fourths miles; thence north one-half mile; thence west one-half mile; thence north one-half mile, to the northwest corner section 31, township 2 south, range 16 east, Black Hills meridian. Thence east one-half mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one and three-fourths miles; thence south three-fourths mile; thence east three-fourths mile; thence south three-fourths mile; thence east one-half mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one-fourth mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one-fourth mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one-fourth mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one-fourth mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one-half mile; thence south one and one-fourth miles; thence east three-fourths mile; thence north one-half mile; thence east one-fourth mile, to the northeast corner section 19, township 3 south, range 17 east, Black Hills meridian. Thence north one-half mile; thence east three-fourths mile; thence south two miles; thence east one and one-half miles; thence north one and one-half miles; thence east two miles; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one-fourth mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one-half mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one-half mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one-half mile, to the northeast corner section 30, township 3 south, range 18 east, Black Hills meridian. Thence south three-fourths mile; thence east one-fourth mile; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east one-half mile; thence north one-fourth mile; thence east one and one-fourth miles; thence south one-fourth mile; thence east three miles, to the northeast corner of section 36, township 3 south, range 18 east, Black Hills meridian. Thence north one mile; thence east one mile; thence north one-half mile; thence west one-fourth mile; thence north one-fourth mile; thence west one-fourth mile; thence north one and one-fourth miles; thence west one-half mile to the point of beginning.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Change of Name
“Park” substituted for “Monument” in first undesignated par. pursuant to Pub. L. 95–625, § 611, which is classified to section 441e–1 of this title and which redesignated Badlands National Monument as Badlands National Park. Extension of BoundariesAct June 26, 1936, ch. 842, title II, 49 Stat. 1979, provided that the boundaries of the Badlands National Monument as established by this section shall be “extended to include such lands adjacent or contiguous thereto, in the State of South Dakota, including, but not being restricted to, lands designated as submarginal by the Resettlement Administration, as may be determined by the President, by proclamation, within five years following the approval of this Act, to be necessary for the proper rounding out of the boundaries of said Monument or the administration thereof, providing the entire area of such Monument shall not exceed 250,000 acres”, and that the provisions of act Aug. 25, 1916, ch. 408, 39 Stat. 535, known as the National Park Service Organic Act (see Tables for classification), were applicable to the lands that were added to the Monument under such authority.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
16 U.S.C. § 441a
Title 16, Conservation
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102