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

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t43/s15"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "43 USC § 15 - Issuance and signing of patents by Secretary of the Interior; delegation of authority; notice"
title_number: 43
title_name: "PUBLIC LANDS"
section_number: "15"
section_name: "Issuance and signing of patents by Secretary of the Interior; delegation of authority; notice"
chapter_number: 1
chapter_name: "BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(June 17, 1948, ch. 496, § 1, 62 Stat. 476.)"
---


# § 15. Issuance and signing of patents by Secretary of the Interior; delegation of authority; notice

*Provided*

All patents for public lands shall be issued and signed by the Secretary of the Interior in the name of the United States: , 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.

---

**Source Credit**: (June 17, 1948, ch. 496, § 1, 62 Stat. 476.)

## Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 15, R.S. § 458; 1940 Reorg. Plan No. III, § 4 eff. , 5 F.R. 2108, ; 1946 Reorg. Plan No. 3, § 403, eff. , 11 F.R. 7876, , related to issuance of patents, prior to repeal by section 2(c) of act .

## Executive Documents

### Transfer of Functions

For transfer of functions of other officers, employees, and agencies of Department of the Interior, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Interior, with power to delegate, see Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. , 15 F.R. 3174, , set out under .