Title 30, Mineral Lands and MiningRelease 119-102

§1461 Prohibited Acts

Title 30 › CHAPTER 26 — DEEP SEABED HARD MINERAL RESOURCES › SUBCHAPTER III — ENFORCEMENT AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS › § 1461

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

U.S. citizens, foreign nationals on vessels documented or numbered under U.S. law, and people covered by a reciprocating state agreement under section 1428(e) must not do certain things. They cannot break any rule, regulation, or term of a license or permit under this chapter. They cannot carry out exploration or commercial recovery after a license or permit is revoked or suspended, do an activity that has been suspended, or fail to make required changes. They cannot refuse to let federal officers authorized under sections 1424 and 1464 board U.S.-documented or treaty-covered vessels for inspections, nor assault, resist, intimidate, or block those officers, or resist a lawful arrest. They cannot ship, sell, buy, import, export, or have any hard mineral that was taken, processed, or kept in violation, or help someone avoid arrest when they know that person committed such a prohibited act.

Full Legal Text

Title 30, §1461

Mineral Lands and Mining, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

It is unlawful for any person who is a United States citizen, or a foreign national on board a vessel documented or numbered under the laws of the United States, or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States under a reciprocating state agreement negotiated under section 1428(e) of this title—

(1)to violate any provision of this chapter, any regulation issued under this chapter, or any term, condition, or restriction of any license or permit issued to such person under this chapter;

(2)to engage in exploration or commercial recovery after the revocation, or during the period of suspension, of an applicable license or permit issued under this chapter, to engage in a particular exploration or commercial recovery activity during the period such activity has been suspended under this chapter, or to fail to modify a particular exploration or commercial recovery activity for which modification was required under this chapter;

(3)to refuse to permit any Federal officer or employee authorized to monitor or enforce the provisions of this chapter, as provided in section 1424 and 1464 of this title, to board a vessel documented or numbered under the laws of the United States, or any vessel for which such boarding is authorized by a treaty or executive agreement, for purposes of conducting any search or inspection in connection with the monitoring or enforcement of this chapter or any regulation, term, condition, or restriction referred to in paragraph (1);

(4)to forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with any such authorized officer or employee in the conduct of any search or inspection described in paragraph (3);

(5)to resist a lawful arrest for any act prohibited by this section;

(6)to ship, transport, offer for sale, sell, purchase, import, export, or have custody, control, or possession of any hard mineral resource recovered, processed, or retained in violation of this chapter or any regulation, term, condition, or restriction referred to in paragraph (1); or

(7)to interfere with, delay, or prevent, by any means, the apprehension or arrest of any other person subject to this section knowing that such other person has committed any act prohibited by this section.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

30 U.S.C. § 1461

Title 30, Mineral Lands and Mining

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102