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18 U.S.C. § 1857

Fences destroyed; livestock entering

United States · Title 18 — CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE · Status: effective

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18 U.S.C. § 1857, Fences destroyed; livestock entering, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/449391
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Whoever knowingly and unlawfully breaks, opens, or destroys any gate, fence, hedge, or wall inclosing any lands of the United States reserved or purchased for any public use; or Whoever drives any cattle, horses, hogs, or other livestock upon any such lands for the purposes of destroying the grass or trees on said lands, or where they may destroy the said grass or trees; or Whoever knowingly permits his cattle, horses, hogs, or other livestock to enter through any such inclosure upon any such lands of the United States, where such cattle, horses, hogs, or other livestock may or can destroy the grass or trees or other property of the United States on the said lands— Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both. This section shall not apply to unreserved public lands.

Legislative history

The public laws that enacted or amended this section. Tallies are for the whole bill as it passed each chamber — often an omnibus covering far more than this provision — not a vote on this section alone. The law that originally enacted this section predates the public laws loaded here, so only later amendments are listed.