Title 20, EducationRelease 119-110

§3477 Acquisition and Maintenance of Property

Title 20 › CHAPTER 48 — DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › SUBCHAPTER IV — ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › Part B — General Administrative Provisions › § 3477

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Allows the Secretary to buy, lease, take by legal process, build, improve, repair, run, and keep property the Department needs. That can include schools (where this chapter allows), labs, research and testing sites, housing for employees and their families, and personal property like patents. The Secretary may also hire or contract for cafeterias and other health and welfare facilities for employees and buy and keep the needed equipment. The Secretary gets the same day-care authority that the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare has under section 2564. The powers above apply only to special-purpose facilities that can’t be easily reassigned from similar federal uses and aren’t available from the Administrator of General Services.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §3477

Education, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Authorized properties; establishment of necessary facilities

The Secretary is authorized—

(1)to acquire (by purchase, lease, condemnation, or otherwise), construct, improve, repair, operate, and maintain—

(A)schools and related facilities (but only to the extent that operation of schools and related facilities by the Department is authorized by this chapter);

(B)laboratories;

(C)research and testing sites and facilities;

(D)quarters and related accommodations for employees and dependents of employees of the Department; and

(E)personal property (including patents), or any interest therein,

as may be necessary; and

(2)to provide by contract or otherwise for the establishment of eating facilities and other necessary facilities for the health and welfare of employees of the Department at its installations, and purchase and maintain equipment therefor.

(b)Day care center facilities

The authority available to the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under section 2564 of this title, shall also be available to the Secretary.

(c)Special purpose facilities

The authority granted by subsection (a) of this section shall be available only with respect to facilities of a special purpose nature that cannot readily be reassigned from similar Federal activities and are not otherwise available for assignment to the Department by the Administrator of General Services.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 3477

Title 20, Education

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110