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Wildlife Law: Federal Laws & Finding State Laws

A companion research guide to the presentation by Professor Stefanie Pearlman, Sara Berggren, and Kristina Pease Hall

Selected Federal Statutes

These are selected federal statutes that discuss wildlife. The page listed is the first page of each law.  Many of them continue on for several pages. 

  • Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997, 16 U.S.C. 4261
  • Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, 16 U.S.C. 668
  • Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1531
  • Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 2901
  • Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000, 16 U.S.C. 6301
  • Lacey Act, 16 U.S.C. 3371 & 18 U.S.C. 42
  • Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Managment Act, 16 U.S.C. 1801
  • Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, 16 U.S.C. 1361
  • Migratory Bird Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. 715
  • Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994, 16 U.S.C. 5301
  • Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992, 16 U.S.C. 4901
  • Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act, 16 U.S.C. 1331

You can find the full text of federal laws in a number of places online. These three links have the United States Code (U.S.C.) available online at no cost.  

The Schmid Law Library has copies of the United States Code on the south side of the first floor of the library.

Federal Regulations

In addition to statutes, many laws give agencies the authority to create regulations. These regulations can be found in a series of books called the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).  You can search the CFR online at no cost at the following Web sites: e-CFR, U.S. Government Publishing Office, and Legal Information Institute.  Title 50 of the CFR, "Wildlife and Fisheries," is a good place to start.

The Schmid Law Library also has a print copy of the CFR located on the first floor of the library on the south side.

If you would like to learn more about the CFR and federal agency materials, see:  A Research Guide to the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations.

Finding State Laws

There are also state laws and regulations that discuss wildlife.  To search Nebraska statutes, click here.  To search Nebraska regulations, click here. You can use LII to find links to laws and regulations of other states.  

You can also use HeinOnline to find 50 state surveys on Wildlife Law. When you go to HeinOnline, select "Subject Compilations of State Laws" (then click on "Subject Compilations of State Laws" again).  Above the search boxes, you will find a link to "Browse the Subjects."  If you click on that link, you will find a listing for "Wildlife."