16 U.S.C. § 393 (2024)

This is the official text of 16 U.S.C. § 393 (2024), part of Federal (US Code)’s United States Code — the codified general and permanent federal statutes of the United States, organized into more than 50 numbered titles by subject.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

Entries under land laws; rights-of-way; lands excluded

Official statutory text

Nothing herein contained shall affect any valid claim, location, or entry existing under the land laws of the United States prior to August 1, 1916, whether for homestead, mineral, right-of-way, or any other purpose whatsoever, or shall affect the rights of any such claimant, locator, or entryman to the full use and enjoyment of his land. Whenever consistent with the primary purposes of the park the Act of February fifteenth, nineteen hundred and one,1 applicable to the location of rights of way in certain national parks and the national forests for irrigation and other purposes, shall be and remain applicable to the lands included within the park. The Secretary of the Interior may, in his discretion and upon such conditions as he may deem wise, grant easements or rights-of-way for steam, electric, or similar transportation upon or across the park. No lands located within the park boundaries held in private or municipal ownership prior to August 1, 1916, shall be affected by or subject to the provisions of this section and sections 391 and 394 of this title.

(Aug. 1, 1916, ch. 264, §§2, 3, 39 Stat. 433, 434.)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Herein, referred to in text, means act Aug. 1, 1916, which is classified to sections 391, 393 and 394 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.

The Act of February fifteenth, nineteen hundred and one, referred to in text, is act Feb. 15, 1901, ch. 372, 31 Stat. 790, which is classified to section 959 of Title 43, Public Lands. The Act, insofar as it related to National Park System units, was repealed and restated as section 100902(a) of Title 54, National Park Service and Related Programs, by Pub. L. 113–287, §§3, 7, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3094, 3272.

Codification

Section is a combination of sections 2 and 3 of act Aug. 1, 1916, all but the last sentence being derived from section 2.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Haleakalā National Park
National Park System units, was repealed and restated as section 100902(a) of Title 54, National Park Service and Related Programs, by Pub. L. 113–287, §§3, 7, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3094, 3272.

Codification

Section is a combination of sections 2 and 3 of act Aug. 1, 1916, all but the last sentence being derived from section 2.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Haleakalā National Park

Establishment of detached portion of Hawaii National Park lying on island of Maui as Haleakalā National Park, effective July 1, 1961, see section 396b of this title.

1 See References in Text note below.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in Federal (US Code)?

Find a Federal (US Code) lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.