republic-os/legal/us/code/title-43/chapter-22/section-961.md

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LegalText	43 U.S.C. § 961	Rights-of-way for power and communications facilities	us	united_states_code	code_section	43	PUBLIC LANDS	22	RIGHTS-OF-WAY AND OTHER EASEMENTS IN PUBLIC LANDS	961	43 U.S.C. § 961	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc43@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t43/s961	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-43/usc43.xml	b273af345f1979d3af0e81ff1f8c145f04cc744a76fe6868ca036b685ff42073	d46a16361aa9d10bbc4b27ea0561882d240801c965a2700a4b7cf5f02f552a5f	47d40ea607678a0573e79c41d69530691456efb4776d0ad313b75e7d99dfa4a9	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

43 U.S.C. § 961 - Rights-of-way for power and communications facilities

Text

That the head of the department having jurisdiction over the lands be, and he hereby is, authorized and empowered, under general regulations to be fixed by him, to grant an easement for rights-of-way, for a period not exceeding fifty years from the date of the issuance of such grant, over, across, and upon the public lands, national forests, and reservations of the United States for electrical poles and lines for the transmission and distribution of electrical power, and for poles and lines for communication purposes, and for radio, television, and other forms of communication transmitting, relay, and receiving structures and facilities, to the extent of two hundred feet on each side of the center line of such lines and poles and not to exceed four hundred feet by four hundred feet for radio, television, and other forms of communication transmitting, relay, and receiving structures and facilities, to any citizen, association, or corporation of the United States, where it is intended by such to exercise the right-of-way herein granted for any one or more of the purposes herein named: Provided, That such right-of-way shall be allowed within or through any national park, national forest, military, Indian, or any other reservation only upon the approval of the chief officer of the department under whose supervision or control such reservation falls, and upon a finding by him that the same is not incompatible with the public interest: Provided further, That all or any part of such right-of-way may be forfeited and annulled by declaration of the head of the department having jurisdiction over the lands for nonuse for a period of two years or for abandonment. That any citizen, association, or corporation of the United States to whom there has heretofore been issued a permit for any of the purposes specified herein under any existing law, may obtain the benefit of this Act upon the same terms and conditions as shall be required of citizens, associations, or corporations hereafter making application under the provisions of this statute.

(Mar. 4, 1911, ch. 238, 36 Stat. 1253; May 27, 1952, ch. 338, 66 Stat. 95; Pub. L. 94–579, title VII, § 706(a), Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2793; Pub. L. 113–287, § 7, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3272.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

References in TextHeretofore, referred to in text, probably means before Mar. 4, 1911. This Act and this statute, referred to in text, is act Mar. 4, 1911, ch. 238, 36 Stat. 1235. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables. Hereafter, referred to in in text, probably means on and after Mar. 4, 1911.

Codification Acts Mar. 4, 1911, ch. 238, 36 Stat. 1253; May 27, 1952, ch. 338, 66 Stat. 95, were also classified to sections 5, 420, and 523 of Title 16, Conservation, which have been omitted from the Code.

Amendments1952—Act May 27, 1952, inserted reference to rights-of-way for radio, television, and other forms of communication, and increased from 40 feet to 400 feet the maximum width of rights-of-way for lines and poles.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

RepealsSection repealed by Pub. L. 94–579, title VII, § 706(a), Oct. 21, 1976, 90 Stat. 2793, effective on and after Oct. 21, 1976, insofar as applicable to the issuance of rights-of-way over, upon, under, and through the public lands and lands in the National Forest System. For definition of “public lands” for purposes of Pub. L. 94–579, see section 1702(e) of this title. Section repealed by Pub. L. 113–287, § 7, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3272, insofar as applicable to units of the National Park System. See section 100902(a) of Title 54, National Park Service and Related Programs.

Savings ProvisionRepeal by Pub. L. 94–579 insofar as applicable to the issuance of rights-of-way not to be construed as terminating any valid lease, permit, patent, etc., existing on Oct. 21, 1976, see section 701 of Pub. L. 94–579, set out as a note under section 1701 of this title.