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Title 25 — IndiansRelease 119-73not60

§5501 Submarginal Lands of United States Held in Trust for Specified Indian Tribes

Title 25 › Chapter 47— CONVEYANCE OF SUBMARGINAL LAND › § 5501

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The United States must hold certain lands and the minerals under them in trust for the named Indian tribes. These are lands and buildings the government got under relief laws of the 1930s and early 1940s (including laws dated June 16, 1933; April 8, 1935; August 24, 1935; and later Emergency Relief Appropriation Acts of 1939 and 1941) that the Secretary of the Interior now manages for the tribes named in section 5502(a). Except for the Cherokee Nation, those lands become part of each tribe’s reservation. The transfer is subject to rules that allow appropriation or transfer of lands within the Pine Ridge Reservation (16 U.S.C. 441j–441o). The United States also keeps the right to limit buildings or to flood lands in sections 25 and 26, township 48 north, range 3 west at Odanah, Wisconsin, for the Bad River flood control project (section 203 of the Act of July 3, 1958). Lands that were part of authorized Missouri River Basin projects before October 17, 1975, are not transferred and will be treated like former trust lands. The United States also must hold in trust the lands it got under those relief acts that are now managed for the Ramah Navajo Indians, for the Ramah Band of the Navajo Tribe, and the lands managed for the Choctaw Indians of Mississippi (except lands covered by the Act of June 21, 1939) for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. Valid recorded rights-of-way are not affected.

Full Legal Text

Title 25, §5501

Indians — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Except as hereinafter provided, all of the right, title, and interest of the United States of America in all of the land, and the improvements now thereon, that was acquired under title II of the National Industrial Recovery Act of June 16, 1933 (48 Stat. 200), the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of April 8, 1935 (49 Stat. 115), and section 55 of the Act of August 24, 1935 (49 Stat. 750, 781), and that are now administered by the Secretary of the Interior for the use or benefit of the Indian tribes identified in section 5502(a) of this title, together with all minerals underlying any such land whether acquired pursuant to such Acts or otherwise owned by the United States, are hereby declared to be held by the United States in trust for each of said tribes, and (except in the case of the Cherokee Nation) shall be a part of the reservations heretofore established for each of said tribes.
(b)The property conveyed by this chapter shall be subject to the appropriation or disposition of any of the lands, or interests therein, within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota, as authorized by sections 441j to 441o of title 16, and subject to a reservation in the United States of a right to prohibit or restrict improvements or structures on, and to continuously or intermittently inundate or otherwise use, lands in section 25 and 26, township 48 north, range 3 west, at Odanah, Wisconsin, in connection with the Bad River flood control project as authorized by section 203 of the Act of July 3, 1958 (72 Stat. 297, 311): Provided, That this chapter shall not convey the title to any part of the lands or any interest therein that prior to October 17, 1975, have been included in the authorized water resources development projects in the Missouri River Basin as authorized by section 203 of the Act of July 3, 1958 (72 Stat. 297, 311), as amended and supplemented: Provided further, That such lands included in Missouri River Basin projects shall be treated as former trust lands are treated.
(c)The right, title, and interest of the United States of America in all of the lands, including the improvements now thereon (title to which is in the United States), acquired under title II of the National Industrial Recovery Act of June 16, 1933 (48 Stat. 200), and any subsequent Emergency Relief Appropriation Acts, including but not limited to section 5 of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1939 (53 Stat. 927, 930) and section 4 of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act, fiscal year 1941 (54 Stat. 611, 617), together with all minerals underlying any such land whether acquired pursuant to such Acts or otherwise owned by the United States, and which lands are now administered by the Secretary of the Interior for the use or benefit of (1) Ramah Navajo Indians, are hereby declared to be held in trust for the Ramah Band of the Navajo Tribe, and (2) Choctaw Indians of Mississippi, except lands subject to the Act of June 21, 1939 (53 Stat. 851), are hereby declared to be held in trust for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; excepting valid rights-of-way of record.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The National Industrial Recovery Act, referred to in subsecs. (a) and (c), is act
June 16, 1933, ch. 90, 48 Stat. 195. Title II of the Act was classified principally to subchapter I (§ 401 et seq.) of chapter 8 of former Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works, and was terminated
June 30, 1943 by act
June 27, 1942, ch. 450, § 1, 56 Stat. 410. Provisions of title II of the Act which were classified to former Title 40 were repealed by Pub. L. 107–217, § 6(b), Aug. 21, 2002, 116 Stat. 1304. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables. Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of
April 8, 1935, referred to in subsec. (a), is act Apr. 8, 1935, ch. 48, 49 Stat. 115, which was not classified to the Code but was listed in the Supplementary Legislation note under section 721 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. section 55 of the Act of
August 24, 1935, referred to in subsec. (a), is act Aug. 24, 1935, ch. 641, § 55, 49 Stat. 781, which was not classified to the Code but was listed in the Supplementary Legislation note under section 721 of Title 15. section 203 of the Act of
July 3, 1958, referred to in subsec. (b), is section 203 of Pub. L. 85–500,
July 3, 1958, 72 Stat. 311, which was not classified to the Code. section 5 of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1939, referred to in subsec. (c), is act
June 30, 1939, ch. 252, § 5, 53 Stat. 930, which was not classified to the Code. section 4 of the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act, fiscal year 1941, referred to in subsec. (c), is act
June 26, 1940, ch. 432, § 4, 54 Stat. 617, which was not classified to the Code. Act of
June 21, 1939, referred to in subsec. (c), is act
June 21, 1939, ch. 235, 53 Stat. 851, which was not classified to the Code. Codification Section was formerly classified to section 459 of this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Amendments

1983—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 97–434 added subsec. (c).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1983 Amendment Pub. L. 97–434, § 1(c), Jan. 8, 1983, 96 Stat. 2280, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this Act [amending this section and section 5502 of this title] shall be effective upon enactment of this Act [Jan. 8, 1983].”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

25 U.S.C. § 5501

Title 25 — Indians

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60