---
type: "LegalText"
title: "16 U.S.C. § 1331"
description: "Congressional findings and declaration of policy"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 16
title_name: "CONSERVATION"
chapter_number: "30"
chapter_name: "WILD HORSES AND BURROS: PROTECTION, MANAGEMENT, AND CONTROL"
section: "1331"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 1331"
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_usc16@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t16/s1331"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-16/usc16.xml"
source_hash: "b27c1d85cf8ddbababb63d48921c651e0b6a9b1cf3fa8d21c64c735519de57c9"
raw_snapshot_hash: "7be8950da5a93cac7c98e4576ce00340f2aba5e8e46d29915382c203c421d503"
text_hash: "fdb794b4ae2fa7ed255e5ecef797e96509d102e104164737bcaa644a308ee0b0"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 16 U.S.C. § 1331 - Congressional findings and declaration of policy

## Text

Congress finds and declares that wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West; that they contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people; and that these horses and burros are fast disappearing from the American scene. It is the policy of Congress that wild free-roaming horses and burros shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment, or death; and to accomplish this they are to be considered in the area where presently found, as an integral part of the natural system of the public lands.

(Pub. L. 92–195, § 1, Dec. 15, 1971, 85 Stat. 649.)

## Notes

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short TitlePub. L. 92–195, Dec. 15, 1971, 85 Stat. 649, which enacted this chapter, is popularly known as the “Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act”.