---
kind: "section"
citation: "30 U.S.C. § 171"
title: "30"
title_heading: "Mineral Lands and Mining"
number: "171"
heading: "Disposal as agricultural lands"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/30/171"
units:
  - "Chapter 3 — Lands Containing Coal, Oil, Gas, Salts, Asphaltic Materials, Sodium, Sulphur, and Building Stone"
  - "Subchapter IX — Disposal of Alabama Lands as Agricultural Lands"
---

# §171. Disposal as agricultural lands


Except as otherwise provided in [chapter 3A](/usc/30/chch3A.md) of this title, all public lands within the State of Alabama, whether mineral or otherwise, shall be subject to disposal only as agricultural lands. All lands which had been reported to the General Land Office prior to March 3, 1883, as containing coal and iron shall first be offered at public sale.


## Source credit

(Mar. 3, 1883, ch. 118, 22 Stat. 487; Feb. 25, 1920, ch. 85, § 1, 41 Stat. 437.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section is from act Mar. 3, 1883, which contained an additional provision relating to pending homesteads, which was omitted because of its temporary nature.

### Amendments

1920—The exception clause was inserted at beginning of this section because of act Feb. 25, 1920, which provided that deposits of coal, phosphate, sodium, oil, oil shale, or gas, and lands containing such deposits owned by the United States, shall be subject to disposition in the form and manner provided by such act.

### Executive Documents

### Transfer of Functions

General Land Office abolished and functions transferred to Bureau of Land Management by Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1946, § 403, eff. July 16, 1946, 11 F.R. 7876, 60 Stat. 1100, and regulations thereunder. See note set out under section 1 of Title 43, Public Lands.