43 U.S.C. § 12 (2024)
This is the official text of 43 U.S.C. § 12 (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.
Seal, books, and records
Official statutory text
The Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate shall retain the charge of the seal adopted for the Bureau of Land Management which may continue to be used, and of the records, books, papers, and other property appertaining to the Bureau of Land Management.
(R.S. §454; 1946 Reorg. Plan No. 3, §403, eff. July 16, 1946, 11 F.R. 7876, 60 Stat. 1100.)
Editorial Notes
Codification
R.S. §454 derived from act Apr. 25, 1812, ch. 68, §§4, 5, 2 Stat. 717.
Executive Documents
Transfer of Functions
For transfer of functions of other officers, employees, and agencies of Department of the Interior, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Interior, with power to delegate, see Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1950, §§1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1262, set out under section 1451 of this title.
"Bureau of Land Management" substituted for "General Land Office" on authority of section 403 of Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1946. See note set out under section 1 of this title.
(R.S. §454; 1946 Reorg. Plan No. 3, §403, eff. July 16, 1946, 11 F.R. 7876, 60 Stat. 1100.)
Editorial Notes
Codification
R.S. §454 derived from act Apr. 25, 1812, ch. 68, §§4, 5, 2 Stat. 717.
Executive Documents
Transfer of Functions
For transfer of functions of other officers, employees, and agencies of Department of the Interior, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of the Interior, with power to delegate, see Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1950, §§1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1262, set out under section 1451 of this title.
"Bureau of Land Management" substituted for "General Land Office" on authority of section 403 of Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1946. See note set out under section 1 of this title.
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.