Title 16 › Chapter 1— NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES › Subchapter XCII— CHICKASAW NATIONAL RECREATION AREA › § 460hh–1
The Secretary may get land for the recreation area by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated money, or by exchange. If a parcel lies partly inside the area, the Secretary can buy the whole parcel or just the part outside to avoid severance costs. Land bought outside can be swapped for land inside. Any land not used for exchange must be sent to the General Services Administration to be disposed of under federal property laws (title 40, chapters 1–11, and subtitle I, division C of title 41), with certain statutory exceptions. Federal property inside the area can be transferred to the Secretary without payment. Land owned by the State of Oklahoma or its local governments may only be taken by donation, except the Secretary may exchange land with the city of Sulphur using lands formerly in Platt National Park. If the Secretary buys an owner‑occupied improved residential property that can still be used as a home without harming the area, the owner may keep a noncommercial right to live there either until the owner or spouse dies (whichever is later) or for up to 25 years, whichever the owner chooses. That right can be transferred. The Secretary pays the owner the property’s fair market value at acquisition minus the value of the retained right. “Improved residential property” means a single‑family year‑round home begun before March 1, 1975, that was the owner’s main home when bought, plus up to three acres needed for the home; the Secretary may exclude waters and nearby land needed for public access. The Secretary can end a retained right if it’s used in a way inconsistent with the area’s purposes and must pay the fair market value of the unused portion.
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Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
16 U.S.C. § 460hh–1
Title 16, Conservation
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60