---
type: "LegalText"
title: "5 U.S.C. § 502"
description: "Administrative practice; Reserves and National Guardsmen"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 5
title_name: "GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION AND EMPLOYEES"
chapter_number: "5"
chapter_name: "ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE"
section: "502"
citation: "5 U.S.C. § 502"
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_usc05@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t5/s502"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-05/usc05.xml"
source_hash: "2c63625bd7ec879c3e3b60eac5e681b3f759803c043d6aae0003cc6067775826"
raw_snapshot_hash: "719fdb18e7085aede50e1e97c1c129fa6058e2c5c12b3d77a9b9044b1769e540"
text_hash: "3c90da6766dd702f63cc14ea96dac2b64d473e731be26c18b214d175597c61eb"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 5 U.S.C. § 502 - Administrative practice; Reserves and National Guardsmen

## Text

Membership in a reserve component of the armed forces or in the National Guard does not prevent an individual from practicing his civilian profession or occupation before, or in connection with, an agency of the United States.

(Pub. L. 89–554, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 381.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision Notes DerivationU.S. CodeRevised Statutes andStatutes at Large  5 U.S.C. 30r(c) (2d sentence).Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, § 29(c) (2d sentence), 70A Stat. 632. Standard changes are made to conform with the definitions applicable and the style of this title as outlined in the preface to the report.