---
type: "LegalText"
title: "43 U.S.C. § 494"
description: "Pecuniary penalty for nonpayment of operation charge"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 43
title_name: "PUBLIC LANDS"
chapter_number: "12"
chapter_name: "RECLAMATION AND IRRIGATION OF LANDS BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT"
section: "494"
citation: "43 U.S.C. § 494"
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_usc43@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t43/s494"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-43/usc43.xml"
source_hash: "e3eedc1cd88abf4019a56c3001ddfd6e29141bd8e3499612774072f9a3948c28"
raw_snapshot_hash: "d46a16361aa9d10bbc4b27ea0561882d240801c965a2700a4b7cf5f02f552a5f"
text_hash: "42cb20baed8e61dc2a464ea15428373ae2ade4eb5140a4f5a3e67ce4e6da7a9f"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 43 U.S.C. § 494 - Pecuniary penalty for nonpayment of operation charge

## Text

If any operation or maintenance charge is unpaid on the 1st day of the third calendar month after it became due a penalty of 1 per centum of the amount unpaid shall be added thereto, and thereafter an additional penalty of one-half of 1 per centum of the amount unpaid shall be added on the 1st day of each calendar month if such charge and penalties shall remain unpaid.

(Aug. 13, 1914, ch. 247, § 6, 38 Stat. 688; Dec. 5, 1924, ch. 4, § 4, subsec. H, 43 Stat. 703.)

## Notes

Editorial Notes

Codification Section is comprised of part of first sentence of section 6 of act Aug. 13, 1914. Remainder of first sentence of such section 6 is classified to sections 479, 493 and 495 of this title; second and third sentences of such section 6 are classified to sections 496 and 497 of this title, respectively. Act Dec. 5, 1924, reduced the additional penalty from 1 per centum to one-half of 1 per centum.