Title 43, Public LandsRelease 119-102
§934 Right of Way Through Public Lands Granted to Railroads
Title 43 › CHAPTER 22 — RIGHTS-OF-WAY AND OTHER EASEMENTS IN PUBLIC LANDS › § 934
Summary
Railroads organized under any State or Territory except D.C., or by Congress, may use public lands if they file incorporation papers with the Interior Secretary. They get 100 feet each side, may take nearby materials (earth, stone, timber), and may have one 20‑acre station per 10 miles.
Full Legal Text
Title 43, §934
Public Lands, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The right of way through the public lands of the United States is granted to any railroad company duly organized under the laws of any State or Territory, except the District of Columbia, or by the Congress of the United States, which shall have filed with the Secretary of the Interior a copy of its articles of incorporation, and due proofs of its organization under the same, to the extent of one hundred feet on each side of the central line of said road; also the right to take, from the public lands adjacent to the line of said road, material, earth, stone, and timber necessary for the construction of said railroad; also ground adjacent to such right of way for station buildings, depots, machine shops, side tracks, turnouts, and water stations, not to exceed in amount twenty acres for each station, to the extent of one station for each ten miles of its road.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Repeal;
Savings Provision
Section repealed by Pub. L. 94–579, title VII, § 706(a), Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2793, effective on and after Oct. 21, 1976, insofar as applicable to the issuance of rights-of-way over, upon, under, and through the public lands and lands in the National Forest System. Such repeal not to be construed as terminating any valid lease, permit, patent, etc., existing on Oct. 21, 1976, see section 701 of Pub. L. 94–579, set out as a note under section 1701 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
43 U.S.C. § 934
Title 43, Public Lands
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102