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Title 54, National Park Service and Related ProgramsRelease 119-110

§320302 Permits

Title 54 › Subtitle III — National Preservation Programs › CHAPTER 3203 — MONUMENTS, RUINS, SITES, AND OBJECTS OF ANTIQUITY › § 320302

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The heads of three federal agencies—the Interior Secretary, the Agriculture Secretary, and the Army Secretary—can give permits to qualified institutions to study ruins, dig at archaeological sites, and collect old objects on land they manage. The work must follow the rules the agency sets. A permit can only be given if the project is for the benefit of a reputable museum, college, university, or similar scientific or educational group to increase knowledge, and any objects taken must be kept forever in a public museum.

Full Legal Text

Title 54, §320302

National Park Service and Related Programs, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Authority To Grant Permit.—
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)Purpose of Examination, Excavation, or Gathering.—
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 In subsection (a), section 205(a) of the National Security Act of 1947 (ch. 343, 61 Stat. 501) was repealed by section 53 of the Act of August 10, 1956 (ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 676).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

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110