Reservation of use and occupancy (abbreviated ROU or RUO) is an arrangement in

US law The law of the United States comprises many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the most important is the nation's Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the federal government of the United States, as well as va ...

that allows for residents to continue to use and/or occupy their

property Property is a system of rights that gives people legal control of valuable things, and also refers to the valuable things themselves. Depending on the nature of the property, an owner of property may have the right to consume, alter, share, r ...

for a certain period after selling that property to the

US government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...

. It is typically provided in exchange for a reduction in the purchase price of the property, and is commonly used when expanding

national parks A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

and wilderness areas that are in close proximity to residential areas. RUOs are also sometimes provided to businesses operating in areas acquired for wilderness protection. Provisions governing RUOs are found in several different portions of Title 16 of the

United States Code In the law of the United States, the Code of Laws of the United States of America (variously abbreviated to Code of Laws of the United States, United States Code, U.S. Code, U.S.C., or USC) is the official compilation and codification of the ...

, depending on the specific park or other protected area involved. RUOs are often incorrectly referred to as "leasebacks", although residents make no payment to the government during their period of allowed occupancy. The

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

, the most common custodian of RUO property, contends that it does not have the power to modify the length or other terms of an RUO, because it is a direct arrangement between the resident and the US government.

References

American legal terminology United States public land law {{US-law-stub