Title 16 › CHAPTER 3B — SOIL CONSERVATION › § 590c
Before giving the chapter’s benefits to land not owned by the United States, the Secretary of Agriculture may require certain things. The Secretary can ask for State or local laws that put permanent limits on how the land is used and stop soil erosion. The Secretary can require written agreements or covenants about permanent land use. The Secretary can also require contributions of money, work, materials, or other help toward the activities that get the benefits. The Secretary can charge user fees for conservation planning help if the fees are fair, are only for help that creates a conservation plan, and are based on land size or complexity. Fees cannot be more than $150 per plan. The Secretary may waive fees for beginning farmers or ranchers (see 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)), limited-resource farmers or ranchers (as the Secretary defines), socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers (see 7 U.S.C. 2003(e)), to get an exemption under section 3812, or to meet government rules.
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Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
16 U.S.C. § 590c
Title 16, Conservation
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102