Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and WorksRelease 119-110
§3172 Extension of State Workers’ Compensation Laws to Buildings, Works, and Property of the Federal Government
Title 40 › SUBTITLE II — PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND WORKS › PART A — GENERAL › CHAPTER 31 — GENERAL › SUBCHAPTER VI — MISCELLANEOUS › § 3172
Summary
A state's workers’ compensation agency can decide to apply its workers’ compensation laws and rulings to any federal land, buildings, projects, or property inside that state, treating them like they were under full state control. The Federal Government does not give up its own jurisdiction for other purposes. This does not change subchapter I of chapter 81 of title 5.
Full Legal Text
Title 40, §3172
Public Buildings, Property, and Works, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Authorization of Extension.—
The state authority charged with enforcing and requiring compliance with the state workers’ compensation laws and with the orders, decisions, and awards of the authority may apply the laws to all land and premises in the State which the Federal Government owns or holds by deed or act of cession, and to all projects, buildings, constructions, improvements, and property in the State and belonging to the Government, in the same way and to the same extent as if the premises were under the exclusive jurisdiction of the State in which the land, premises, projects, buildings, constructions, improvements, or property are located.
(b)Limitation on Relinquishing Jurisdiction.—
The Government under this section does not relinquish its jurisdiction for any other purpose.
(c)Nonapplication.—
This section does not modify or amend subchapter I of chapter 81 of title 5.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 3172(a)40:290 (1st par., last par. words before 1st proviso).June 25, 1936, ch. 822, 49 Stat. 1938. 3172(b)40:290 (last par. 1st proviso). 3172(c)40:290 (last par. last proviso). In subsection (a), the words “by purchase or otherwise” and 40:290(last par. words before 1st proviso) are omitted as unnecessary. Subsection (b) is substituted for 40:290(last par. 1st proviso) to eliminate unnecessary words. In subsection (c), the words “subchapter I of chapter 81 of title 5” are substituted for “the United States Employees’ Compensation Act as amended from time to time (Act of September 7, 1916, 39 Stat. 742, U.S.C., title 5 and supplement, sec. 751 et seq.)” because of section 7(b) of the Act of September 6, 1966 (Public Law 89–554, 80 Stat. 631), the first section of which enacted Title 5, United States Code.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
40 U.S.C. § 3172
Title 40, Public Buildings, Property, and Works
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110