---
type: "LegalText"
title: "16 U.S.C. § 3824"
description: "Fairness of compliance"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 16
title_name: "CONSERVATION"
chapter_number: "58"
chapter_name: "ERODIBLE LAND AND WETLAND CONSERVATION AND RESERVE PROGRAM"
section: "3824"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 3824"
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/s3824"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-16/usc16.xml"
source_hash: "da47ce69f3460d3958ec3df2ecb2b34d43dae712596e8a53467e84a230c3be05"
raw_snapshot_hash: "7be8950da5a93cac7c98e4576ce00340f2aba5e8e46d29915382c203c421d503"
text_hash: "3717794df87767956a66fc3fc4b2a187d1f1d184f2cea69c5203205887019760"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 16 U.S.C. § 3824 - Fairness of compliance

## Text

If the actions of an unrelated person or public entity, outside the control of, and without the prior approval of, the landowner or tenant result in a change in the characteristics of cropland that would cause the land to be determined to be a wetland, the affected land shall not be considered to be wetland for purposes of this subchapter.

(Pub. L. 99–198, title XII, § 1224, as added Pub. L. 101–624, title XIV, § 1424, Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 3576.)