Us Code § 404 - Sale on petition of allottee or heirs
Full text of Us Code United States Code § 404 — Sale on petition of allottee or heirs, with citation guidance and answers to common questions.
§ 404. Sale on petition of allottee or heirs
The lands, or any part thereof, allotted to any Indian, or any inherited interest therein, which can be sold under existing law by authority of the Secretary of the Interior, except the lands in Oklahoma and the States of Minnesota and South Dakota, may be sold on the petition of the allottee, or his heirs, on such terms and conditions and under such regulations as the Secretary of the Interior may prescribe; and the lands of a minor, or of a person deemed incompetent by the Secretary of the Interior to petition for himself, may be sold in the same manner, on the petition of the natural guardian in the case of infants, and in the case of Indians deemed incompetent as aforesaid, and of orphans without a natural guardian, on petition of a person designated for the purpose by the Secretary of the Interior. When any Indian who has received an allotment of land dies before the expiration of the trust period, the Secretary of the Interior shall ascertain the legal heirs of such Indian, and if satisfied of their ability to manage their own affairs shall cause to be issued in their names a patent in fee simple for said lands; but if he finds them incapable of managing their own affairs, the land may be sold as hereinbefore provided: Provided, That the proceeds derived from all sales hereunder shall be used, during the trust period, for the benefit of the allottee, or heir, so disposing of his interest, under the supervision of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs: And provided further, That upon the approval of any sale hereunder by the Secretary of the Interior, he shall cause a patent in fee to issue in the name of the purchaser for the lands so sold: And provided further, That nothing in this section shall apply to the States of Minnesota and South Dakota.
(May 29, 1908, ch. 216, §1, 35 Stat. 444.)
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Yakima Indian Reservation, Washington
Special provisions for sale of interests of Indian minors in lands of the Yakima Indian reservation, in the State of Washington, whether by direct allotment or by inheritance, were made by act Mar. 27, 1908, ch. 107, 35 Stat. 49.
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 in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.
About This Section
25 U.S.C. § 404 is part of Title 25 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 25 U.S.C. § 404. 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.