16 U.S.C. § 459f–1: Acquisition of property

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior may buy, accept as a gift, trade for, or otherwise get land, water, and other property inside the national seashore. The Secretary can add up to 112 acres on the mainland in Worcester County, Maryland. When property is bought by negotiation, the owner must be paid the fair market value. Land or interests owned by Maryland or Virginia can only be taken with the State’s agreement. Federal property inside the seashore can be moved under the Secretary’s control if the agency that holds it agrees, without payment. The Secretary can swap non‑Federal land inside the seashore for Federal land in Maryland or Virginia and may accept or pay cash to make values equal. The Secretary may accept a donated scenic easement for the Woodcock Property even if acreage limits would otherwise block it. The Secretary may buy the Chincoteague‑Assateague Bridge and related land or facilities from the Bridge and Beach Authority and must pay enough to let that authority meet its valid debts at the time of sale. Owners of “improved property” the Secretary acquires may keep a right to live on or hunt on the property for up to 25 years and pass that right to successors. In that case the Secretary pays the owner the fair market value minus the value of the retained right. “Improved property” means a single‑family house started before January 1, 1964, with up to 3 acres needed for its use, or land on Chincoteague Bay or Sinepuxent Bay used mainly for hunting (including nearby bay islands). The Secretary can exclude marshes, beaches, waters, or nearby land needed for public use or access.

Title 16, §459f–1

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(a)Authority of Secretary; manner and place; fair market value; concurrence of State owner; transfer from Federal agency to administrative jurisdiction of Secretary

Within the boundaries of the seashore, the Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as the “Secretary”) is authorized to acquire lands, waters, and other property, or any interest therein, by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, exchange, or in such other method as he may find to be in the public interest. The Secretary is authorized to include within the boundaries of the seashore, not to exceed 112 acres of land or interests therein on the mainland in Worcester County, Maryland. In the case of acquisition by negotiated purchase, the property owners shall be paid the fair market value by the Secretary. Any property or interests therein owned by the States of Maryland or Virginia shall be acquired only with the concurrence of such owner. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any Federal property located within the boundaries of the seashore may, with the concurrence of the agency having custody thereof, be transferred without consideration to the administrative jurisdiction of the Secretary for purposes of the seashore.

(b)Exchange of property; cash equalization payments; scenic easement donation

When acquiring lands by exchange, the Secretary may accept title to any non-Federal property within the boundaries of the seashore and convey to the grantor of such property any federally owned property under the jurisdiction of the Secretary which the Secretary classifies suitable for exchange or other disposal, and which is located in Maryland or Virginia. The properties so exchanged shall be approximately equal in fair market value, but the Secretary may accept cash from or pay cash to the grantor in order to equalize the values of the properties exchanged. Notwithstanding the acreage limitation set forth in sections 459f to 459f–11 of this title, the Secretary is authorized to accept the donation of a scenic easement covering the parcel of land adjacent to the seashore and known as the “Woodcock Property”.

(c)Bridge acquisition; amount of compensation; payment terms and conditions

The Secretary is authorized to acquire all of the right, title, or interest of the Chincoteague-Assateague Bridge and Beach Authority, a political subdivision of the State of Virginia, in the bridge constructed by such authority across the Assateague Channel, together with all lands or interests therein, roads, parking lots, buildings, or other real or personal property of such authority, and to compensate the authority in such amount as will permit it to meet its valid outstanding obligations at the time of such acquisition. Payments by the Secretary shall be on such terms and conditions as he shall consider to be in the public interest. Any of the aforesaid property outside the boundaries of the national seashore, upon acquisition by the Secretary, shall be subject to his administration for purposes of the seashore.

(d)Owner’s reservation of right of use and occupancy for residential or hunting purposes for term of years; adjustment of compensation; rules and regulations for appearance of buildings; “improved property” defined

Owners of improved property acquired by the Secretary may reserve for themselves and their successors or assigns a right of use and occupancy of the improved property for noncommercial residential purposes or for hunting purposes, as hereinafter provided, for a term that is not more than twenty-five years. In such cases, the Secretary shall pay to the owner of the property the fair market value thereof less the fair market value of the right retained by such owner: Provided, That such use and occupancy shall be subject to general rules and regulations established by the Secretary with respect to the outward appearance of any buildings on the lands involved. The term “improved property” as used in sections 459f to 459f–11 of this title shall mean (1) any single-family residence the construction of which was begun before January 1, 1964, and such amount of land, not in excess of three acres, on which the building is situated as the Secretary considers reasonably necessary to the noncommercial residential use of the building, and (2) any property fronting on the Chincoteague Bay or Sinepuxent Bay, including the offshore bay islands adjacent thereto, that is used chiefly for hunting and continues in such use: Provided, That the Secretary may exclude from improved properties any marsh, beach, or waters, together with so much of the land adjoining such marsh, beach, or waters as he deems necessary for public use or public access thereto.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1992—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–320, § 1(1), (2), amended second and last sentences generally, substituting reference to 112 acres for reference to sixteen acres for an administrative site in second sentence and striking out reference in last sentence to sixteen acres of Federal property on the mainland in Worcester County, Maryland. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 102–320, § 1(3), (4), amended first sentence generally, striking out reference to not more than sixteen acres of non-Federal property on the mainland in Worcester County, Maryland, and inserted at end “Notwithstanding the acreage limitation set forth in sections 459f to 459f–11 of this title, the Secretary is authorized to accept the donation of a scenic easement covering the parcel of land adjacent to the seashore and known as the ‘Woodcock Property’.” 1990—Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 101–512 substituted “sixteen acres” for “ten acres” wherever appearing.

§459f–1 Acquisition of Property

Summary

Title 16, §459f–1

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Citations & Metadata