---
type: "LegalText"
title: "40 U.S.C. § 542"
description: "Care and handling"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 40
title_name: "PUBLIC BUILDINGS, PROPERTY, AND WORKS"
chapter_number: "5"
chapter_name: "PROPERTY MANAGEMENT"
section: "542"
citation: "40 U.S.C. § 542"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc40@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t40/s542"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-40/usc40.xml"
source_hash: "e69126e29aa7c3d228ea5cd052e1aa2e498e5b5b00965796b342c02e286664b9"
raw_snapshot_hash: "9e671d5f37f9148634c9ba568a4c16d4864b567130b66bcf607f680414560a29"
text_hash: "c9f883b1470aff5bc97f8662c439930e0be117f31c655e6ef2bfe44442e81905"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 40 U.S.C. § 542 - Care and handling

## Text

The disposal of surplus property, and the care and handling of the property pending disposition, may be performed by the General Services Administration or, when the Administrator of General Services decides, by the executive agency in possession of the property or by any other executive agency that agrees.

(Pub. L. 107–217, Aug. 21, 2002, 116 Stat. 1086.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision Notes RevisedSectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 54240:484(b).June 30, 1949, ch. 288, title II, § 203(b), 63 Stat. 385.