--- kind: "section" citation: "43 U.S.C. § 1478" title: "43" title_heading: "Public Lands" number: "1478" heading: "Appraisal and valuation services for real property" release: "119-102" date: "2026-07-12" url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/43/1478" units: - "Chapter 31 — Department of the Interior" --- # §1478. Appraisal and valuation services for real property - (a) **License, certification requirement—** A covered appraiser needs to be licensed or certified in only 1 [State](/usc/43/31b.md?p=8) to perform appraisal or valuation services for real property in any [State](/usc/43/31b.md?p=8) for a transaction over which the [Secretary](/usc/43/31b.md?p=7) has jurisdiction. - (b) **Use of non-Federal covered appraisers—** If the [Secretary](/usc/43/31b.md?p=7) uses a non-Federal covered appraiser to perform appraisal or valuation services for real property for a transaction described in [subsection (a)](#a), the [Secretary](/usc/43/31b.md?p=7)— - (1) shall, to the maximum extent practicable, use a non-Federal covered appraiser who is a certified general real property appraiser licensed in a [State](/usc/43/31b.md?p=8) in which the real property that is the subject of the transaction is located; and - (2) may only use a non-Federal covered appraiser who is a certified general real property appraiser licensed in a [State](/usc/43/31b.md?p=8) other than one in which the real property that is the subject of the transaction is located if a non-Federal covered appraiser described in [paragraph (1)](#b-1) is, as determined by the [Secretary](/usc/43/31b.md?p=7)— - (A) unavailable to complete an assignment within a reasonable period of time; - (B) not assignment qualified; or - (C) not cost competitive. - (c) **Report—** Not later than 1 year after January 4, 2025, and annually thereafter for at least the following 4 years, the [Secretary](/usc/43/31b.md?p=7) shall submit to Congress a report that includes the following: - (1) A comparison using quantitative data of— - (A) the number of requests for appraisal and valuation services received by the Department during the reporting period and the number of requests for such services received by the Department in each of the 5 years before the reporting period; and - (B) the amount of time required for the Department to complete a request for appraisal or valuation services before January 4, 2025, and after January 4, 2025. - (2) A qualitative assessment of the impact of [subsection (a)](#a) in providing flexibility to the [Secretary](/usc/43/31b.md?p=7) when contracting with non-Federal covered appraisers. - (3) Recommendations, if any, for congressional action that could help the Department operate more efficiently or overcome challenges with respect to timely completion of requests for appraisal or valuation services while ensuring the independence, impartiality, and objectivity of such services. - (4) An overview of the workforce of the Department with regard to appraisal and valuation services provided by the Department, including hiring and staffing during the reporting period with respect to employees and contractors of the Department. - (5) A complete list of cases in which the authority granted under this section was used during the reporting period, describing for each case the specific criteria used to satisfy the conditions of this section. - (d) **Statutory clarifications—** - (1) **Applicability of relevant laws and regulations—** Except as provided in [paragraph (3)](#d-3), nothing in this section shall be interpreted to affect the application of any Federal or [State](/usc/43/31b.md?p=8) law or regulation to a non-Federal covered appraiser with regard to the performance by such non-Federal covered appraiser of appraisal and valuation services for real property. - (2) **Jurisdiction requirement—** Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to authorize a non-Federal covered appraiser to perform appraisal and valuation services for real property in a [State](/usc/43/31b.md?p=8) in which such non-Federal covered appraiser is not licensed or certified to perform such services except to the extent that such services are performed for a transaction over which the [Secretary](/usc/43/31b.md?p=7) has jurisdiction. - (3) **Nonapplicability of certain relevant laws and regulations—** Any provision of a Federal or [State](/usc/43/31b.md?p=8) law or regulation enacted before January 4, 2025, that requires a covered appraiser to be licensed or certified in a specific [State](/usc/43/31b.md?p=8) to perform appraisal or valuation services for real property in that [State](/usc/43/31b.md?p=8) shall not apply to any transaction over which the [Secretary](/usc/43/31b.md?p=7) has jurisdiction. - (e) **Public availability—** Not later than 90 days after January 4, 2025, the text of all policies (including any successor policies), including reference manuals, guidance documents, handbooks, standard operating procedures, and statements of policy specific to the scoping, contracting, and review of appraisals performed for the Department by Federal or non-Federal covered appraisers, shall be made publicly available online and provided upon request. - (f) **Definitions—** In this section: - (1) **Covered appraiser—** The term “covered appraiser” means a [State](/usc/43/31b.md?p=8)-licensed or -certified real property appraiser. - (2) **Department—** The term “Department” means the Department of the Interior. - (3) **Reporting period—** The term “reporting period” means the 1-year period before the date on which a report is submitted under [subsection (c)](#c). - (4) **Secretary—** The term “[Secretary](/usc/43/31b.md?p=7)” means the [Secretary](/usc/43/31b.md?p=7) of the Interior. - (5) **State—** The term “[State](/usc/43/31b.md?p=8)” means each of the several [States](/usc/43/31b.md?p=8), the District of Columbia, and each territory and possession of the United States. ## Source credit (Pub. L. 118–230, § 2, Jan. 4, 2025, 138 Stat. 2826.)