Title 43 — Public LandsRelease 119-73not60
§383 Vested Rights and State Laws Unaffected
Title 43 › Chapter 12— RECLAMATION AND IRRIGATION OF LANDS BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT › Subchapter I— GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 383
Summary
Protects state and territorial water laws and any existing irrigation rights. The Secretary of the Interior must follow those laws, and no rights of states, the federal government, landowners, or users of interstate waters are changed.
Full Legal Text
Title 43, §383
Public Lands — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Nothing in this Act shall be construed as affecting or intended to affect or to in any way interfere with the laws of any State or Territory relating to the control, appropriation, use, or distribution of water used in irrigation, or any vested right acquired thereunder, and the Secretary of the Interior, in carrying out the provisions of this Act, shall proceed in conformity with such laws, and nothing herein shall in any way affect any right of any State or of the Federal Government or of any landowner, appropriator, or user of water in, to, or from any interstate stream or the waters thereof.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
This Act, referred to in text, is act June 17, 1902, popularly known as the Reclamation Act, which is classified generally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see
Short Title
note set out under section 371 of this title and Tables. Codification Section is comprised of section 8 (less proviso) of act June 17, 1902. The remainder of section 8 is classified to section 372 of this title.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Section as Unaffected by Submerged Lands ActProvisions of this section as not amended, modified or repealed by the Submerged Lands Act, see section 1303 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
43 U.S.C. § 383
Title 43 — Public Lands
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60