§518 — Title 16 Conservation | U.S. Code

Summary

The United States can still buy land even if the seller kept rights like roads, easements, or reservations, as long as the Secretary of Agriculture finds those rights will not interfere with using the land under the law. Any rights the owner keeps must follow rules the Secretary sets for use, operation, protection, and management. Those rules must be written into the deed that gives the land to the United States, and anyone using those rights must obey them.

Title 16, §518

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Such acquisition by the United States shall in no case be defeated because of located or defined rights of way, easements, and reservations, which, from their nature will, in the opinion of the Secretary of Agriculture, in no manner interfere with the use of the lands so encumbered, for the purposes of this Act. Such rights of way, easements, and reservations retained by the owner from whom the United States receives title, shall be subject to the rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Agriculture for their occupation, use, operation, protection, and administration, and such rules and regulations shall be expressed in and made part of the written instrument conveying title to the lands to the United States; and the use, occupation, and operation of such rights of way, easements, and reservations shall be under, subject to, and in obedience with the rules and regulations so expressed.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in text, means act Mar. 1, 1911, ch. 186, 36 Stat. 961, popularly known as the Weeks Law, which enacted this section, former section 513 and 514 of this title, and sections 515 to 517a, 519, 521, 552, and 563 of this title and amended section 480 and 500 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 552 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

1976—Pub. L. 94–588 struck out “the National Forest Reservation Commission and” after “in the opinion of”. 1913—Act Mar. 4, 1913, amended act Mar. 1, 1911, generally to provide that acquisition of lands under this section would not be defeated by rights of way, easements, and reservations retained by the owner from whom title is received.

§518 Acquisition of Lands Not Defeated by Rights-of-way, Easements, and Reservations