TITLE 43 - US CODE - CHAPTER 1 - BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

43 USC 1 - Repealed. Pub. L. 89554, 8(a), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 632

Section, R.S. 446; 1946 Reorg. Plan No. 3, 403, eff. July 16, 1946, 11 F.R. 7876, 60 Stat. 1100, provided that there shall be in the Department of the Interior a Director of the Bureau of Land Management. Provision for a Bureau of Land Management in the Department of the Interior and for the structure of such Bureau is contained in section 403 of the 1946 Reorg. Plan No. 3, which is set out below.

43 USC 2 - Duties concerning public lands

The Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate shall perform all executive duties appertaining to the surveying and sale of the public lands of the United States, or in anywise respecting such public lands, and, also, such as relate to private claims of land, and the issuing of patents for all grants of land under the authority of the Government.

43 USC 3 - Repealed. Pub. L. 89554, 8(a), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 632, 636

Section, acts July 11, 1890, ch. 667, 1, 26 Stat. 257; June 17, 1910, ch. 297, 36 Stat. 512, provided for the office of an assistant commissioner of the General Land Office, which was subsequently abolished by Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1946, 403, eff. July 16, 1946, 11 F.R. 7876, 60 Stat. 1100. That Plan provided for a Bureau of Land Management, including an Associate Director and as many Assistant Directors as the Secretary of the Interior may find necessary. See note set out under section 1 of this title.

43 USC 3a - Omitted

4, 5. Repealed. Pub. L. 89554, 8(a), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 632, 641

Section 4, act May 22, 1908, ch. 186, 35 Stat. 225, which provided for a temporary assistant commissioner of the General Land Office, was superseded by Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1946, 403, eff. July 16, 1946, 11 F.R. 7876, 60 Stat. 1100, set out as a note under section 1 of this title. Section 5, R.S. 447, provided for a recorder of the former General Land Office.

43 USC 6 - Duties of employees to certify, record, etc., patents

It shall be the duty of such officers or employees of the Bureau of Land Management as may be designated by the Secretary of the Interior, in pursuance of instructions from the Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate, to certify and affix the seal of the office to all patents for public lands, and to attend to the correct engrossing, recording, and transmission of such patents. They shall prepare alphabetical indexes of the names of patentees, and of persons entitled to patents; and shall prepare such copies and exemplifications of matters on file or recorded in the Bureau of Land Management as the Secretary or such officer may from time to time direct.

43 USC 7 - Repealed. Pub. L. 89554, 8(a), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 632, 641

Section, act May 22, 1908, ch. 186, 35 Stat. 225, authorized Secretary of the Interior to designate a temporary recorder for former General Land Office in certain cases. Reorg. Plan No. III of 1940, 4, eff. June 30, 1940, 5 F.R. 2108, 54 Stat. 1232, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, abolished office of Recorder of former General Land Office and provided that his functions should be exercised under direction and supervision of Secretary of the Interior through those officers or employees of former General Land Office as he might designate.

43 USC 8 - Omitted

43 USC 9 - Repealed. June 17, 1948, ch. 496, 2(b), 62 Stat. 476

Section, R.S. 451; act June 19, 1878, ch. 329, 20 Stat. 183, provided for an assistant to sign land patents. See section 15 of this title.

43 USC 10 - Repealed. Pub. L. 89554, 8(a), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 632, 645

Section, acts May 24, 1922, ch. 199, 42 Stat. 555; Jan. 24, 1923, ch. 42, 42 Stat. 1177, related to depositary acting for commissioner as receiver of public moneys.

43 USC 11 - Restriction on officers, clerks, and employees

The officers, clerks, and employees in the Bureau of Land Management are prohibited from directly or indirectly purchasing or becoming interested in the purchase of any of the public land; and any person who violates this section shall forthwith be removed from his office.

43 USC 12 - Seal, books, and records

The Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate shall retain the charge of the seal adopted for the Bureau of Land Management which may continue to be used, and of the records, books, papers, and other property appertaining to the Bureau of Land Management.

43 USC 13 - Original papers on file as evidence

Whenever the officer, as the Secretary of the Interior may designate, of any United States land office shall be served with a subpoena duces tecum or other valid legal process requiring him to produce, in any United States court or in any court of record of any State, the original application for entry of public lands or the final proof of residence and cultivation or any other original papers on file in the Bureau of Land Management of the United States on which a patent to land has been issued or which furnish the basis for such patent, it shall be the duty of such officer to at once notify the Secretary of the Interior, or such officer as he may designate, of the service of such process, specifying the particular papers he is required to produce, and upon receipt of such notice from any such officer of a United States land office the Secretary or such officer designated by him shall at once transmit to the officer of such land office the original papers specified in such notice, and which such officer is required to produce, and to attach to such papers a certificate, under seal of his office, properly authenticating them as the original papers upon which patent was issued; and such papers so authenticated shall be received in evidence in all courts of the United States and in the several State courts of the States of the Union: Provided, That the Secretary of the Interior shall make rules and regulations to secure the return of such documents to the Bureau of Land Management, after use in evidence, without cost to the United States.

43 USC 14 - Returns relative to lands

All returns relative to the public lands shall be made to the Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate.

43 USC 15 - Issuance and signing of patents by Secretary of the Interior; delegation of authority; notice

All patents for public lands shall be issued and signed by the Secretary of the Interior in the name of the United States: Provided, That the Secretary may delegate his authority under this section to officers or employees of the Department of the Interior, but notice of any such delegation shall be given by publication in the Federal Register.

43 USC 16 - Engrossing and recording patents

The engrossing and recording of patents for public lands may be done by means of typewriters or other machines, under regulations to be made by the Secretary of the Interior and approved by the President.

43 USC 17 - Plats of land surveyed

The Secretary of of the Interior or such officer as he may designate shall, when required by the President or either House of Congress, make a plat of any land surveyed under the authority of the United States, and give such information respecting the public lands and concerning the business of the Bureau of Land Management as shall be directed.

43 USC 18 - Copies of papers filed

Whenever any person claiming to be interested in or entitled to land, under any grant or patent from the United States, applies to the Department of the Interior for copies of papers filed and remaining therein, in anywise affecting the title to such land, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Interior to cause such copies to be made out and authenticated, under his hand and the seal of the Bureau of Land Management, for the person so applying.

19 to 21. Repealed. Dec. 16, 1930, ch. 14, 1, 46 Stat. 1029

Section 19, R.S. 2469, related to certified copies of records of the General Land Office. Section 20, R.S. 2470, related to exemplification of the records of the General Land Office as evidence. Section 21, R.S. 461; acts Apr. 2, 1888, ch. 54, 25 Stat. 76; Oct. 12, 1888, ch. 1098, 25 Stat. 557; May 29, 1908, ch. 220, 15, 35 Stat. 469; June 5, 1920, ch. 235, 1, 41 Stat. 908, related to fees for exemplifications. For Department of the Interior record provisions and Government records and papers, see section 1460 et seq. of this title, and section 1733 of Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure.

43 USC 22 - Repealed. July 30, 1947, ch. 354, 2, 61 Stat. 522

Section, act June 5, 1920, ch. 235, 41 Stat. 908, related to cost of photolithographic copies of plats. See section 1460 of this title.

43 USC 23 - Repealed. Pub. L. 86649, title II, 202(b), July 14, 1960, 74 Stat. 507

Section, act Feb. 14, 1931, ch. 187, 46 Stat. 1118, prescribed fees for depositions in hearings in Bureau of Land Management. See section 1371 of this title. Similar provisions were contained in the following prior appropriation acts: Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 462, 43 Stat. 1145. June 5, 1924, ch. 264, 43 Stat. 395. Jan. 24, 1923, ch. 42, 42 Stat. 1179. May 24, 1922, ch. 199, 42 Stat. 558. Mar. 3, 1915, ch. 75, 38 Stat. 855.

43 USC 24 - Repealed. Pub. L. 89554, 8(a), Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 632, 646, 647

Section, acts May 10, 1926, ch. 277, 44 Stat. 456; Jan 12, 1927, ch. 27, 44 Stat. 938; 1946 Reorg. Plan No. 3, 403, eff. July 16, 1946, 11 F.R. 7876, 60 Stat. 1100, authorized payment of mileage for automobile travel.

25 to 25b. Repealed. Oct. 25, 1951, ch. 562, 1(25), 65 Stat. 639

Section 25, act May 28, 1926, ch. 415, 1, 44 Stat. 672, related to transfer of records of United States land office to any State upon closing of last United States land office in that State. Section 25a, act May 28, 1926, ch. 415, 2, 44 Stat. 673, related to transfer of field notes and maps of United States land office to any State upon closing of last United States land office in that State. Section 25b, act May 28, 1926, ch. 415, 3, 44 Stat. 673, related to requirement that State provide by law for preservation and access of records, field notes, and maps. See section 3301 et seq. of Title 44, Public Printing and Documents.