---
kind: "section"
citation: "16 U.S.C. § 403b"
title: "16"
title_heading: "Conservation"
number: "403b"
heading: "Administration, protection, and development; Federal Power Act inapplicable; minimum area"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/16/403b"
units:
  - "Chapter 1 — National Parks, Military Parks, Monuments, and Seashores"
  - "Subchapter XLVI — Shenandoah National Park and Great Smoky Mountains National Park"
---

# §403b. Administration, protection, and development; Federal Power Act inapplicable; minimum area


The administration, protection, and development of the aforesaid [parks](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) shall be exercised under the direction of the [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1) of the Interior by the National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) Service, subject to the provisions of the Act of August 25, 1916, entitled “An Act to establish a National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) Service, and for other purposes,”[^1] as amended: Provided, That the provisions of the Federal Power Act [[16 U.S.C. 791a](/usc/16/791a.md) et seq.] shall not apply to these [parks](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3): And provided further, That the minimum [area](/usc/16/539m–1.md?p=1-A) to be administered and protected by the National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) Service shall be for the Shenandoah National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) [area](/usc/16/539m–1.md?p=1-A) one hundred and sixty thousand acres and for the Great Smoky Mountains National [Park](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-3) [area](/usc/16/539m–1.md?p=1-A) four hundred thousand acres: Provided further, That no general development of either of these [areas](/usc/16/539m–1.md?p=1-A) shall be undertaken until a major portion of the remainder in such [area](/usc/16/539m–1.md?p=1-A) shall have been accepted by said [Secretary](/usc/16/410r–5.md?p=c-1).


## Footnotes

[^1]: See References in Text note below.

## Source credit

(May 22, 1926, ch. 363, § 3, 44 Stat. 616; Feb. 16, 1928, ch. 59, § 1, 45 Stat. 109; Feb. 4, 1932, ch. 19, § 1, 47 Stat. 37; June 15, 1934, ch. 538, § 1, 48 Stat. 964.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

The Act of August 25, 1916, entitled “An Act to establish a National Park Service, and for other purposes,”, referred to in text, is act Aug. 25, 1916, ch. 408, 39 Stat. 535, known as the National Park Service Organic Act, which enacted sections 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this title and provisions set out as a note under section 100101 of Title 54, National Park Service and Related Programs. Sections 1 to 4 of the Act were repealed and restated as section 1865(a) of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure, and section 100101(a), chapter 1003, and sections 100751(a), 100752, 100753, and 102101 of Title 54 by Pub. L. 113–287, §§ 3, 4(a)(1), 7, Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3094, 3260, 3272. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables. For disposition of former sections of this title, see Disposition Table preceding section 100101 of Title 54.

The Federal Power Act, referred to in text, was in the original the “Act approved June 10, 1920, known as the Federal Water Power Act,” and was redesignated the Federal Power Act by section 791a of this title. The Federal Power Act is act June 10, 1920, ch. 285, 41 Stat. 1063, and is classified generally to chapter 12 (§ 791a et seq.) of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 791a of this title and Tables.

### Amendments

1934—Act June 15, 1934, changed minimum area for Great Smoky Mountains National Park to 400,000 acres.

1932—Act Feb. 4, 1932, changed minimum area for Shenandoah National Park to 160,000 acres.

1928—Act Feb. 16, 1928, changed minimum area for Shenandoah National Park to 327,000 acres.

### 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.