1. (a) Definitions.— In this section—

   1. (1) Commercial activities.— The term “commercial activities” includes the operations of restaurants, food stores, craft stores, dry goods stores, financial institutions, and display facilities.
   2. (2) Cultural activities.— The term “cultural activities” includes film, dramatic, dance, and musical presentations, and fine art exhibits, whether or not those activities are intended to make a profit.
   3. (3) Educational activities.— The terms “educational activities” includes the operations of libraries, schools, day care centers, laboratories, and lecture and demonstration facilities.
   4. (4) Historical, architectural, or cultural significance.— The term “historical, architectural, or cultural significance” includes buildings listed or eligible to be listed on the National Register established under chapter 3021 of title 54.
   5. (5) Recreational activities.— The term “recreational activities” includes the operations of gymnasiums and related facilities.
   6. (6) Unit of general local government.— The term “unit of general local government” means a city, county, town, parish, village, or other general-purpose political subdivision of a State.

2. (b) Duties of Administrator.— To carry out the duties of the Administrator of General Services under sections 581(h), 584(b), 3303(c), and 3307(b)(3) and (5) of this title and under any other authority with respect to constructing, operating, maintaining, altering, and otherwise managing or acquiring space necessary to accommodate federal agencies and to accomplish the purposes of sections 581(h), 584(b), 3303(c), and 3307(b)(3) and (5), the Administrator shall—

   1. (1) acquire and utilize space in suitable buildings of historical, architectural, or cultural significance, unless use of the space would not prove feasible and prudent compared with available alternatives;
   2. (2) encourage the location of commercial, cultural, educational, and recreational facilities and activities in public buildings;
   3. (3) provide and maintain space, facilities, and activities, to the extent practicable, that encourage public access to, and stimulate public pedestrian traffic around, into, and through, public buildings, permitting cooperative improvements to and uses of the area between the building and the street, so that the activities complement and supplement commercial, cultural, educational, and recreational resources in the neighborhood of public buildings; and
   4. (4) encourage the public use of public buildings for cultural, educational, and recreational activities.

3. (c) Consultation and Solicitation of Comments.— In carrying out the duties under subsection (b), the Administrator shall—

   1. (1) consult with chief executive officers of the States, areawide agencies established pursuant to title II of the Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 3331 et seq.) and section 6506 of title 31, and chief executive officers of those units of general local government in each area served by an existing or proposed public building; and
   2. (2) solicit the comments of other community leaders and members of the general public as the Administrator considers appropriate.

(Pub. L. 107–217, Aug. 21, 2002, 116 Stat. 1160; Pub. L. 113–287, § 5(j)(6), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3269.)

In subsection (b)(1), the word “historical” is substituted for “historic” to conform to the defined term.

In subsection (c)(1), the words “chief executive officers of the States” are substituted for “Governors” for clarity and for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code. The words “section 6506 of title 31” are substituted for “title IV of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act of 1968” in section 102(b) of the Public Buildings Cooperative Use Act of 1976 (Public Law 94–541, 90 Stat. 2505) because of section 4(b) of the Act of September 13, 1982 (Public Law 97–258, 96 Stat. 1067), the first section of which enacted Title 31, United States Code.

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act of 1966, referred to in subsec. (c)(1), is Pub. L. 89–754, Nov. 3, 1966, 80 Stat. 1255. Title II of the Act is classified generally to subchapter II (§ 3331 et seq.) of chapter 41 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 3331 of Title 42 and Tables.

Amendments

2014—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 113–287 substituted “chapter 3021 of title 54” for “section 101 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470a)”.

Executive Documents

Executive Order No. 13006

Ex. Ord. No. 13006, May 21, 1996, 61 F.R. 26071, as amended by Ex. Ord. No. 13946, § 2, Aug. 24, 2020, 85 F.R. 52879; Ex. Ord. No. 14091, § 6(c), Feb. 16, 2023, 88 F.R. 10830, encouraging locating Federal facilities on historic properties in central cities, was revoked by Ex. Ord. No. 14274, § 2(b), Apr. 15, 2025, 90 F.R. 16445.