---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 157"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "157"
heading: "Acquisition of lands"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/157"
units:
  - "Chapter 1 — National Parks, Military Parks, Monuments, and Seashores"
  - "Subchapter XVII — Big Bend National Park"
---

# §157. Acquisition of lands


The [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior is authorized, in his discretion and upon submission of evidence of title satisfactory to him, to accept, on behalf of the United States, title to the lands referred to in [section 156 of this title](/usc/16/156.md) as may be deemed by him necessary or desirable for national-[park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) purposes: Provided, That no land for the Big Bend National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) shall be accepted until exclusive jurisdiction over the entire [area](/usc/16/539m–1.md?p=1-A), in form satisfactory to the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior, shall have been ceded by the [State](/usc/16/590q.md?p=a) of Texas to the United States.


## Source credit

(June 20, 1935, ch. 283, § 2, 49 Stat. 393.)