Title 54 — National Park Service and Related ProgramsRelease 119-73not60
§320302 Permits
Title 54 › Subtitle Subtitle III— National Preservation Programs › Chapter 3203— MONUMENTS, RUINS, SITES, AND OBJECTS OF ANTIQUITY › § 320302
Summary
Three Secretaries may permit institutions they deem qualified to examine ruins, dig archaeological sites, or collect antiquities on land they oversee, following rules they set. A permit is allowed only if the work benefits a reputable scientific or educational institution and collected items are permanently kept in a public museum.
Full Legal Text
Title 54, §320302
National Park Service and Related Programs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The Secretary, the Secretary of Agriculture, or the Secretary of the Army may grant a permit for the examination of ruins, the excavation of archeological sites, and the gathering of objects of antiquity on land under their respective jurisdictions to an institution that the Secretary concerned considers properly qualified to conduct the examination, excavation, or gathering, subject to such regulations as the Secretary concerned may prescribe.
(b)A permit may be granted only if—
(1)the examination, excavation, or gathering is undertaken for the benefit of a reputable museum, university, college, or other recognized scientific or educational institution, with a view to increasing the knowledge of the objects; and
(2)the gathering shall be made for permanent preservation in a public museum.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 32030216 U.S.C. 432 (1st sentence).June 8, 1906, ch. 3060, § 3, 34 Stat. 225; July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title II, § 205(a), 61 Stat. 501. In subsection (a), section 205(a) of the National Security Act of 1947 (ch. 343, 61 Stat. 501) was repealed by section 53 of the Act of August 10, 1956 (ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 676). section 1 of the Act of August 10, 1956 (70A Stat. 1), enacted Title 10, “Armed Forces”, and under sections 3010 to 3013 of title 10, the Department of the Army remains under the administrative supervision of the Secretary of the Army.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
54 U.S.C. § 320302
Title 54 — National Park Service and Related Programs
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60