18 U.S.C. § 1866Chapter 91

§1866. Historic, archeologic, or prehistoric items and antiquities

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Verbatim text below is from the United States Code (GovInfo), a public-domain U.S. government work.

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§1866. Historic, archeologic, or prehistoric items and antiquities

(a) Violation of Regulations Authorized by Chapter 3201 of Title 54.—A person that violates any of the regulations authorized by chapter 3201 of title 54 shall be fined under this title and be adjudged to pay all cost of the proceedings.

(b) Appropriation of, Injury to, or Destruction of Historic or Prehistoric Ruin or Monument or Object of Antiquity.—A person that appropriates, excavates, injures, or destroys any historic or prehistoric ruin or monument or any other object of antiquity that is situated on land owned or controlled by the Federal Government without the permission of the head of the Federal agency having jurisdiction over the land on which the object is situated, shall be imprisoned not more than 90 days, fined under this title, or both.

Historical and Revision Notes
Revised Section	Source (U.S. Code)	Source (Statutes at Large)
1866(a)	16 U.S.C. 462(k) (last sentence)	Aug. 21, 1935, ch. 593, §2(k) (last sentence), 49 Stat. 667.
1866(b)	16 U.S.C. 433	June 8, 1906, ch. 3060, §1, 34 Stat. 225.

In subsection (a), the provision is transferred to title 18 to make clear that it is a criminal penalty. The words "fined under this title" are substituted for "punished by a fine of not more than $500" for consistency with chapter 227.

In subsection (b), the words "fined under this title" are substituted for "fined in a sum of not more than $500" for consistency with chapter 227.

Last amended: December 31, 2024

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