---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 3813"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "3813"
heading: "Soil surveys"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/3813"
units:
  - "Chapter 58 — Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation and Reserve Program"
  - "Subchapter II — Highly Erodible Land Conservation"
---

# §3813. Soil surveys


The [Secretary](/usc/16/3801.md?p=a-21) shall, as soon as is practicable after December 23, 1985, complete soil surveys on those [private lands](/usc/16/620e.md?p=6) that do not have a soil survey suitable for use in determining the land capability class for purposes of this subchapter. In carrying out this section, the [Secretary](/usc/16/3801.md?p=a-21) shall, insofar as possible, concentrate on those localities where significant amounts of [highly erodible land](/usc/16/3801.md?p=a-11-A) are being converted to the production of [agricultural commodities](/usc/16/3801.md?p=a-1).


## Source credit

(Pub. L. 99–198, title XII, § 1214, formerly § 1213, Dec. 23, 1985, 99 Stat. 1507; renumbered § 1214, Pub. L. 104–127, title III, § 315(a)(1), Apr. 4, 1996, 110 Stat. 983.)