---
kind: "section"
citation: "30 U.S.C. § 1425"
title: "30"
title_heading: "Mineral Lands and Mining"
number: "1425"
heading: "Relinquishment, surrender, and transfer of licenses and permits"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/30/1425"
units:
  - "Chapter 26 — Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources"
  - "Subchapter I — Regulation of Exploration and Commercial Recovery by United States Citizens"
---

# §1425. Relinquishment, surrender, and transfer of licenses and permits

- (a) **Relinquishment and surrender—** Any [licensee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=8) or [permittee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=9) may at any time, without penalty—
  - (1) surrender to the [Administrator](/usc/30/1403.md?p=12) a license or a permit issued to the [licensee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=8) or [permittee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=9); or
  - (2) relinquish to the [Administrator](/usc/30/1403.md?p=12), in whole or in part, any right to conduct any [exploration](/usc/30/1403.md?p=5) or [commercial recovery](/usc/30/1403.md?p=1) activities authorized by the license or permit.

  Any [licensee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=8) or [permittee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=9) who surrenders a license or permit, or relinquishes any such right, shall remain liable with respect to all violations and penalties incurred, and damage to [persons](/usc/30/1403.md?p=10) or property caused, by the [licensee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=8) or [permittee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=9) as a result of activities engaged in by the [licensee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=8) or [permittee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=9) under such license or permit.

- (b) **Transfer—** Any license or permit, upon written request of the [licensee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=8) or [permittee](/usc/30/1403.md?p=9), may be transferred by the [Administrator](/usc/30/1403.md?p=12); except that no such transfer may occur unless the proposed transferee is a [United States citizen](/usc/30/1403.md?p=14) and until the [Administrator](/usc/30/1403.md?p=12) determines that (1) the proposed transfer is in the public interest, and (2) the proposed transferee and the [exploration](/usc/30/1403.md?p=5) or [commercial recovery](/usc/30/1403.md?p=1) activities the transferee proposes to conduct meet the requirements of this chapter and regulations issued under this chapter.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 96–283, title I, § 115, June 28, 1980, 94 Stat. 572.)