Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-102
§1152 Laws Governing
Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 53 — INDIANS › § 1152
Summary
Federal criminal laws apply in Indian country within places under U.S. exclusive jurisdiction, excluding D.C., unless another law says otherwise. They don't apply to crimes by one Indian against another, to Indians punished by tribal law, or where a treaty gives tribes exclusive jurisdiction.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §1152
Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Except as otherwise expressly provided by law, the general laws of the United States as to the punishment of offenses committed in any place within the sole and exclusive jurisdiction of the United States, except the District of Columbia, shall extend to the Indian country. This section shall not extend to offenses committed by one Indian against the person or property of another Indian, nor to any Indian committing any offense in the Indian country who has been punished by the local law of the tribe, or to any case where, by treaty stipulations, the exclusive jurisdiction over such offenses is or may be secured to the Indian tribes respectively.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on section 215, 217, 218 of title 25, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Indians (R.S. 2144, 2145, 2146; Feb. 18, 1875, ch. 80, §§ 1, 18 Stat. 318). Section consolidates said section 217 and 218 of title 25, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Indians, and omits section 215 of said title as covered by the consolidation. See reviser’s note under section 1153 of this title as to effect of consolidation of section 548 and 549 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed. Minor changes were made in translations and phraseology.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 1152
Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102