16 USC § 517 - Title to lands to be acquired

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t16/s517"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "16 USC § 517 - Title to lands to be acquired"
title_number: 16
title_name: "CONSERVATION"
section_number: "517"
section_name: "Title to lands to be acquired"
chapter_number: 2
chapter_name: "NATIONAL FORESTS"
subchapter_number: "I"
subchapter_name: "ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Mar. 1, 1911, ch. 186, § 8 (part), 36 Stat. 962; Pub. L. 91–393, § 3, Sept. 1, 1970, 84 Stat. 835.)"
---


# § 517. Title to lands to be acquired

The Secretary of Agriculture may do all things necessary to secure the safe title in the United States to the lands to be acquired under this Act, but no payment shall be made for any such lands until the title shall be satisfactory to the Attorney General or his designee and shall be vested in the United States.

---

**Source Credit**: (Mar. 1, 1911, ch. 186, § 8 (part), 36 Stat. 962; Pub. L. 91–393, § 3, Sept. 1, 1970, 84 Stat. 835.)

## Editorial Notes

### References in Text

This Act, referred to in text, means , , popularly known as the Weeks Law, which enacted this section, former sections 513 and 514 of this title, and sections 515, 516, 517a to 519, 521, 552, and 563 of this title and amended sections 480 and 500 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under  and Tables.

### Codification

Section was amended by , . The amendment added a proviso at the end of this section which is set out as .

### Amendments

1970— inserted “or his designee” after “Attorney General”.