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Title 25, IndiansRelease 119-110

§17 Use of Bureau Facilities

Title 25 › CHAPTER 1 — BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS › § 17

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior can allow tribes, tribal groups, and student organizations to use Bureau of Indian Affairs facilities and equipment when the use won’t interfere with the Bureau’s purpose and when it benefits Indians or federal programs. The Secretary may charge for utilities and other costs; payments go back to the same fund and are available until the end of the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which collected. Refusal to allow use is final and not appealable in court. Paying fees does not limit the United States’ sovereign immunity or legal limits on liability or damages for injuries tied to the use.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §17

Indians, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general
The Secretary of the Interior may permit tribal governments and organizations and student organizations to use Bureau of Indian Affairs equipment, land, buildings, and other structures if such use does not interfere with the purpose for which they are administered by the Bureau and when such use benefits Indians or Federal or federally funded programs. The Secretary may charge the user for the cost of the utilities and other expenses incurred for the use. The amounts collected shall be credited to the appropriation or fund from which the expenses are paid and shall be available until the end of the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which collected. The Secretary’s decision to not permit a use under this section is final and shall not be subject to judicial review.
(b)Scope of authority
The authority provided by this section is in addition to, and not in derogation of, any other authority available to the Secretary of the Interior.
(c)Limitation of liability
The payment of any fee, or agreement to pay costs, to the Secretary shall not in any way or to any extent limit the right of the United States to rely upon sovereign immunity or any State or Federal statute limiting liability or damages from injuries sustained in connection with use under this section.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1988—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–427, § 25(a), amended subsec. (a) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (a) read as follows: “The Secretary of the Interior may permit tribal, student, and other non-Federal organizations to use facilities, lands, and equipment administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs if such use does not interfere with the purpose for which the facilities, land, and equipment are administered by the Bureau. The Secretary of the Interior may charge the user for the actual or estimated additional cost of utilities or other expenses incurred because of the use and the amounts collected shall be credited to the appropriation or fund from which the expenses are paid.” Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 100–427, § 25(b), added subsec. (c).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

For

Effective Date

and applicability of section, see section 6303 of Pub. L. 100–297, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1988 Amendment note under section 1071 of Title 20, Education.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 17

Title 25, Indians

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110