
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 43USC54]

 
                         TITLE 43--PUBLIC LANDS
 
                           CHAPTER 3--SURVEYS
 
Sec. 54. Completion of surveys; delivery to States

    The Secretary of the Interior shall take all the necessary measures 
for the completion of the surveys in the several surveying districts, at 
the earliest periods compatible with the purposes contemplated by law; 
and whenever the surveys and records of any such district are completed, 
the Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate shall 
deliver over to the secretary of state of the respective States, 
including such surveys, or to such other officer as may be authorized to 
receive them, all the field notes, maps, records, and other papers 
appertaining to land titles within the same.

(R.S. Sec. 2218; June 5, 1924, ch. 264, 43 Stat. 394; Mar. 3, 1925, ch. 
462, 43 Stat. 1144; 1946 Reorg. Plan No. 3, Sec. 403, eff. July 16, 
1946, 11 F.R. 7876, 60 Stat. 1100.)

                          Codification

    The original text of R.S. Sec. 2218 provided for completion of 
surveys ``in the several surveying-districts for which surveyors general 
have been, or may be, appointed'' and also provided that ``the surveyor 
general thereof shall be required to deliver over'' all papers 
appertaining to land titles within the district, ``and the office of 
surveyor general in every such district shall thereafter cease and be 
discontinued.'' The references to the surveyors general were omitted in 
view of act Mar. 3, 1925 (classified to section 51 of this title) 
abolishing office of surveyor general and transferring its activities to 
the Field Surveying Service, under the jurisdiction of the U.S. 
Supervisor of Surveys. See, also, Transfer of Functions note below.
    R.S. Sec. 2207, formerly cited as a credit to this section, which 
provided for appointment of surveyors general, was superseded by act 
Mar. 3, 1925 (classified to section 51 of this title) and repealed by 
act Mar. 3, 1933, ch. 202, Sec. 1, 47 Stat. 1429.
    Act June 5, 1924, appropriated funds for use in making the surveys 
in twelve districts.
    Act May 25, 1906, ch. 2554, 34 Stat. 199, provided for a survey, 
pursuant to R.S. Sec. 2218, of unsurveyed lands in Louisiana, and was 
omitted.
    Provisions of act Oct. 2, 1888, ch. 1069, 25 Stat. 525, which 
provided for transfer to State officials of field notes, maps, records 
and other papers appertaining to land surveys in Nebraska and Iowa, were 
omitted.
    All records, etc., belonging to office of recorder of land titles 
for Missouri were delivered to State upon discontinuance of office, by 
provisions of act June 6, 1874, ch. 223, Sec. 3, and act July 31, 1876, 
ch. 246.
    R.S. Sec. 2218 derived from acts June 12, 1840, ch. 36, Sec. 1, 5 
Stat. 384; July 31, 1876, ch. 246, 19 Stat. 121.

                          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, 
Secs. 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1262, set out 
under section 1451 of this title.
    ``Secretary of the Interior or such officer as he may designate'' 
substituted for ``Supervisor of Surveys'' on authority of section 403 of 
Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1946. See note set out under section 1 of this 
title.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 53 of this title.
