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Title 16 — Conservation

Chapter 1 — National Parks, Military Parks, Monuments, and Seashores

§ 256c. Forfeiture of property used in hunting, fishing, etc.

Statutory text

All guns, bows, traps, nets, seines, fishing tackle, clothing, teams, horses, machinery, logging equipment, motor vehicles, aircraft, boats, or means of transportation of every nature or description used by any person or persons or organizations within the limits of the park when engaged in or attempting to engage in killing, trapping, ensnaring, taking or capturing such wild birds, fish or animals, or taking, destroying or damaging such trees, plants, or mineral deposits contrary to the provisions of this Act or the rules and regulations promulgated by the Secretary of the Interior shall be forfeited to the United States and may be seized by the officers in the park and held pending prosecution of any person or persons or organization arrested under or charged with violating the provisions of this Act, and upon conviction under this Act of such persons or organizations using said guns, bows, traps, nets, seines, fishing tackle, clothing, teams, horses, machinery, logging equipment, motor vehicles, aircraft, boats, or other means of transportation of every nature and description used by any person or persons or organization, such forfeiture shall be adjudicated as a penalty in addition to the other punishment prescribed in this Act. Such forfeited property shall be disposed of and accounted for by and under the authority of the Secretary of the Interior: Provided, That the forfeiture of teams, horses, machinery, logging equipment, motor vehicles, aircraft, boats, or other means of transportation shall be in the discretion of the Court.

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

  1. Pub. L. 77–151 § 4 · 56 Stat. 135

    Enacted · 16 U.S.C. § 256c

    Mar. 6, 1942, ch. 151, § 4, 56 Stat. 136

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    Mar. 6, 1942, ch. 151, § 4, 56 Stat. 136

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    Sec. 4. All guns, traps, nets, seines, fishing tackle, teams, horses, or means of transportation of every nature or description used by any person or persons within the limits of the park when engaged in killing, trapping, ensnaring, taking, or capturing such wild birds, fish, or animals contrary to the provisions of this Act or the rules and regulations promulgated by the Secretary of the Interior shall be forfeited to the United States and may be seized by the officers in the park and held pending prosecution of any person or persons arrested under the charge of violating the provisions of this Act, and upon conviction under this Act of such person or persons using said guns, traps, nets, seines, fishing tackle, teams, horses, or other means of transportation, such forfeiture shall be adjudicated as a penalty in addition to the other punishment prescribed in this Act. Such forfeited property shall be disposed of and accounted for by and under the authority of the Secretary of the Interior: Provided, That the Proviso. forfeiture of teams, horses, or other means of transportation shall be in the discretion of the court.

  2. Washington Park Wilderness Act of 1988

    Pub. L. 100–668 title I § 104(b) · 102 Stat. 3961

    Amended · 16 U.S.C. § 256c

    Pub. L. 100–668 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section read as follows: “All guns, traps, nets, seines, fishing tackle, teams, horses, or means of transportation of every nature or description used by any person or persons within the limits of the park when engaged in killing, trapping, ensnaring, taking, or capturing such wild birds, fish, or animals contrary to the provisions of this Act or the rules and regulations promulgated by the Secretary of the Interior shall be forfeited to the United States and may be seized by the officers in the park and held pending prosecution of any person or persons arrested under the charge of violating the provisions of this Act, and upon conviction under this Act of such person or persons using said guns, traps, nets, seines, fishing tackle, teams, horses, or other means of transportation, such forfeiture shall be adjudicated as a penalty in addition to the other punishment prescribed in this Act. Such forfeited property shall be disposed of and accounted for by and under the authority of the Secretary of the Interior: Provided, That the forfeiture of teams, horses, or other means of transportation shall be in the discretion of the court.”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Pub. L. 100–668 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section read as follows: “All guns, traps, nets, seines, fishing tackle, teams, horses, or means of transportation of every nature or description used by any person or persons within the limits of the park when engaged in killing, trapping, ensnaring, taking, or capturing such wild birds, fish, or animals contrary to the provisions of this Act or the rules and regulations promulgated by the Secretary of the Interior shall be forfeited to the United States and may be seized by the officers in the park and held pending prosecution of any person or persons arrested under the charge of violating the provisions of this Act, and upon conviction under this Act of such person or persons using said guns, traps, nets, seines, fishing tackle, teams, horses, or other means of transportation, such forfeiture shall be adjudicated as a penalty in addition to the other punishment prescribed in this Act. Such forfeited property shall be disposed of and accounted for by and under the authority of the Secretary of the Interior: Provided, That the forfeiture of teams, horses, or other means of transportation shall be in the discretion of the court.”

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (b) Forfeiture of Property.— Section 4 of the Act of March 6, 1942 (56 Stat. 135; 16 U.S.C. 256c) is hereby revised to read as follows: “Sec. 4. All guns, bows, traps, nets, seines, fishing tackle, clothing, teams, horses, machinery, logging equipment, motor vehicles, aircraft, boats, or means of transportation of every nature or description used by any person or persons or organizations within the limits of the park when engaged in or attempting to engage in killing, trapping, ensnaring, taking or capturing such wild birds, fish or animals, or taking, destroying or damaging such trees, plants, or mineral deposits contrary to the provisions of this Act or the rules and regulations promulgated by the Secretary of the Interior shall be forfeited to the United States and may be seized by the officers in the park and held pending prosecution of any person or persons or organization arrested under or charged with violating the provisions of this Act, and upon conviction under this Act of such persons or organizations using said guns, bows, traps, nets, seines, fishing tackle, clothing, teams, horses, machinery, logging equipment, motor vehicles, aircraft, boats, or other means of transportation of every nature and description used by any person or persons or organization, such forfeiture shall be adjudicated as a penalty in addition to the other punishment prescribed in this Act. Such forfeited property shall be disposed of and accounted for by and under the authority of the Secretary of the Interior: Provided, That the forfeiture of teams, horses, machinery, logging equipment, motor vehicles, aircraft, boats, or other means of transportation shall be in the discretion of the Court.”.

2 of 2 references resolved to an enrolled provision

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in text, is act , which is classified to sections 256 to 256i of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.

Amendments

1988—Pub. L. 100–668 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section read as follows: “All guns, traps, nets, seines, fishing tackle, teams, horses, or means of transportation of every nature or description used by any person or persons within the limits of the park when engaged in killing, trapping, ensnaring, taking, or capturing such wild birds, fish, or animals contrary to the provisions of this Act or the rules and regulations promulgated by the Secretary of the Interior shall be forfeited to the United States and may be seized by the officers in the park and held pending prosecution of any person or persons arrested under the charge of violating the provisions of this Act, and upon conviction under this Act of such person or persons using said guns, traps, nets, seines, fishing tackle, teams, horses, or other means of transportation, such forfeiture shall be adjudicated as a penalty in addition to the other punishment prescribed in this Act. Such forfeited property shall be disposed of and accounted for by and under the authority of the Secretary of the Interior: Provided, That the forfeiture of teams, horses, or other means of transportation shall be in the discretion of the court.”

Credits

1942–1988 · 2 acts
  1. 1942Mar. 6, 1942, ch. 151, § 4, 56 Stat. 136
  2. 1988Pub. L. 100–668, title I, § 104(b), , 102 Stat. 3962.
Show as published

(Mar. 6, 1942, ch. 151, § 4, 56 Stat. 136; Pub. L. 100–668, title I, § 104(b), , 102 Stat. 3962.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc16.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-07-16

USLM identifier /us/usc/t16/s256c