Title 43, Public LandsRelease 119-102
§627 Sale of Unpatented and Unentered Land Prohibited; Suspension of Entry
Title 43 › CHAPTER 13 — FEDERAL LANDS INCLUDED IN STATE IRRIGATION DISTRICTS › § 627
Summary
Public land unclaimed when an irrigation district taxed it cannot be sold to pay those taxes; the tax stays on the land and no one can claim more than 160 acres. After the Secretary of the Interior approves a homestead or desert‑land claim, the application is paused 30 days so the applicant can show a county or district certificate proving no unpaid district charges.
Full Legal Text
Title 43, §627
Public Lands, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
No public lands which were unentered at the time any tax or assessment was levied against same by such irrigation district shall be sold for such taxes or assessments, but such tax or assessment shall be and continue a lien upon such lands, and not more than one hundred and sixty acres of such land shall be entered by any one person; and when such lands shall be applied for, after said approval by the Secretary of the Interior, under the homestead or desert-land laws of the United States the application shall be suspended for a period of thirty days to enable the applicant to present a certificate from the proper district or county officer showing that no unpaid district charges are due and delinquent against said land.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The desert-land laws of the United States, referred to in text, are classified generally to chapter 9 (§ 321 et seq.) of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
43 U.S.C. § 627
Title 43, Public Lands
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102