Title 54 — National Park Service and Related ProgramsRelease 119-73not60
§102101 General Provisions
Title 54 › Subtitle Subtitle I— National Park System › Chapter 1021— PRIVILEGES AND LEASES › § 102101
Summary
Natural curiosities or objects in any System unit must not be leased so people lose free access. The Secretary may allow grazing (not in Yellowstone National Park) if it won't harm the unit’s purpose, can make these leases or contracts without competitive bids, and transfers need prior written approval.
Full Legal Text
Title 54, §102101
National Park Service and Related Programs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)(1)No natural curiosity, wonder, or object of interest shall be leased or granted to anyone on such terms as to interfere with free access by the public to any System unit.
(2)The Secretary, under such regulations and on such terms as the Secretary may prescribe, may grant the privilege to graze livestock within a System unit when, in the Secretary’s judgment, the use is not detrimental to the primary purpose for which the System unit was created. This paragraph does not apply to Yellowstone National Park.
(b)The Secretary may grant privileges and enter into leases described in subsection (a), and enter into related contracts with responsible persons, firms, or corporations, without advertising and without securing competitive bids.
(c)No contract, lease, or privilege described in subsection (a) or (b) that is entered into or granted shall be assigned or transferred by the grantee, lessee, or licensee without the prior written approval of the Secretary.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 10210116 U.S.C. 3 (last sentence).Aug. 25, 1916, ch. 408, § 3 (last sentence), 39 Stat. 535; Mar. 7, 1928, ch. 137, § 1 (matter relating to section 3 of the Act of August 25, 1916, in 12th undesignated par. under heading “NATIONAL PARK SERVICE”), 45 Stat. 235; Pub. L. 85–434, May 29, 1958, 72 Stat. 152; Pub. L. 105–391, title IV, § 415(b)(1), Nov. 13, 1998, 112 Stat. 3515. In subsection (a)(1), the word “rented” is omitted as included in “leases”. In subsections (b) and (c), the word “permit” is omitted for consistency because a permit is not mentioned earlier in the source provision. In subsection (c), the word “lessee” is substituted for “permittees” for consistency in the section.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
54 U.S.C. § 102101
Title 54 — National Park Service and Related Programs
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60