Federal · Title 16 — Conservation

16 U.S.C. § 690e: Enforcement of laws and regulations; warrants and processes; jurisdiction of courts; forfeiture of property captured, injured, killed or removed

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

This statute authorizes Department of Interior employees to arrest violators of wildlife protection laws, execute warrants, and seize wildlife or natural materials taken in violation of those laws for forfeiture to the United States.

Read the full statutory text
Any employee of the Department of the Interior authorized by the Secretary of the Interior to enforce the provisions of sections 690 to 690i of this title (1) shall have power, without warrant, to arrest any person committing in the presence of such employee a violation of sections 690 to 690i of this title or of any regulation made pursuant thereto, and to take such person immediately for examination or trial before an officer or court of competent jurisdiction, and (2) shall have power to execute any warrant or other process issued by an officer or court of competent jurisdiction to enforce the provisions of said sections or regulations made pursuant thereto. Any judge of a court established under the laws of the United States, or any United States magistrate judge may, within his respective jurisdiction, upon proper oath or affirmation showing probable cause, issue warrants in all such cases. All birds or animals, or parts thereof, captured, injured, or killed, and all grass and other natural growths, and nests and eggs of birds removed contrary to the provisions of sections 690 to 690i of this title or any regulation made pursuant thereto, shall, when found by such employee or by any marshal or deputy marshal, be summarily seized by him, and upon conviction of the offender or upon judgment of a court of the United States that the same were captured, killed, taken, or removed contrary to the provisions of sections 690 to 690i of this title or of any regulation made pursuant thereto, shall be forfeited to the United States and disposed of as directed by the Secretary of the Interior, in accordance with law.

Verify at the official source: Federal legislative text

Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.

MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.

This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.