Us Code § 1303 - Terms of agreement; required provisions
Full text of Us Code United States Code § 1303 — Terms of agreement; required provisions, with citation guidance and answers to common questions.
§ 1303. Terms of agreement; required provisions
In the agreement between the Secretary and an owner or operator, the owner or operator shall agree—
(1) to place in the program for the period of the agreement eligible wetland areas he designates, which areas may include wetlands covered by a Federal or State government easement which permits agricultural use, together with such adjacent areas as determined desirable by the Secretary;
(2) not to drain, burn, fill, or otherwise destroy the wetland character of such areas, nor to use such areas for agricultural purposes, as determined by the Secretary;
(3) to effectuate the wetland conservation and development plan for his land in accordance with the terms of the agreement, unless any requirement thereof is waived or modified by the Secretary pursuant to section 1306 of this title;
(4) to forfeit all rights to further payments or grants under the agreement and refund to the United States all payments or grants received thereunder upon his violation of the agreement at any stage during the time he has control of the land subject to the agreement if the Secretary determines that such violation is of such a nature as to warrant termination of the agreement, or to make refunds or accept such payment adjustments as the Secretary may deem appropriate if he determines that the violation by the owner or operator does not warrant termination of the agreement;
(5) upon transfer of his right and interest in the lands subject to the agreement during the agreement period, to forfeit all rights to further payments or grants under the agreement and refund to the United States all payments or grants received thereunder during the year of the transfer unless the transferee of any such land agrees with the Secretary to assume all obligations of the agreement;
(6) not to adopt any practice specified by the Secretary in the agreement as a practice which would tend to defeat the purposes of the agreement; and
(7) to such additional provisions as the Secretary determines are desirable and includes in the agreement to effectuate the purposes of the program or to facilitate its administration.
(Pub. L. 91–559, §4, Dec. 19, 1970, 84 Stat. 1470.)
About This Section
16 U.S.C. § 1303 is part of Title 16 of the United States Code. The United States Code is the official codification of federal statutes maintained by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives. Congress amends the Code through new public laws, which are eventually incorporated into the relevant title.
This section may be cited in legal writing as 16 U.S.C. § 1303. For the most current official text, including any recent amendments, use the official source links below. Do not rely on this page as the sole authority for legal citation or litigation.
How to Read This Statute
Statutes are organized by title, chapter, section, and subsection. Pay attention to words like "shall," "may," "and," and "or," because they determine whether a requirement is mandatory or permissive and whether multiple conditions must all be met. Historical notes and amendments often appear at the end of a section.
Using This Page
This page is intended for research and educational use. Lawyers, students, journalists, and compliance professionals can use it as a starting point, but should always verify the current text through an official government source before relying on it for legal advice, filings, or compliance decisions.