Title 19 — Customs DutiesRelease 119-73
§1609 Seizure; summary forfeiture and sale
Title 19 › Chapter CHAPTER 4— - TARIFF ACT OF 1930 › Subtitle SUBTITLE III— - ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › Part Part V— - Enforcement Provisions › § 1609
Summary
If no claim is filed or bond posted within twenty days, the customs officer must declare the vessel, vehicle, aircraft, merchandise, or baggage forfeited. The officer will sell or otherwise dispose of it like abandoned goods and put the sale money, after deducting the expenses described in section 1613 of this title, into the Customs Forfeiture Fund. That forfeiture declaration has the same effect as a final court order. Title goes to the United States free of liens or encumbrances, except for first preferred ship mortgages under subsection O of section 30 of the Ship Mortgage Act, 1920 (46 U.S.C. App. 961) or its corresponding revision in title 46, and is treated as having vested on the date of the act causing the forfeiture. State and local officials must remove recorded liens and issue or reissue title or registration papers to the United States or its transferee when given a certified copy of the declaration.
Full Legal Text
Title 19, §1609
Customs Duties — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)If no such claim is filed or bond given within the twenty days hereinbefore specified, the appropriate customs officer shall declare the vessel, vehicle, aircraft, merchandise, or baggage forfeited, and shall sell the same at public auction in the same manner as merchandise abandoned to the United States is sold or otherwise dispose of the same according to law, and shall deposit the proceeds of sale, after deducting the expenses described in section 1613 of this title, into the Customs Forfeiture Fund.
(b)A declaration of forfeiture under this section shall have the same force and effect as a final decree and order of forfeiture in a judicial forfeiture proceeding in a district court of the United States. Title shall be deemed to vest in the United States free and clear of any liens or encumbrances (except for first preferred ship mortgages pursuant to subsection O of section 30 of the Ship Mortgage Act, 1920 (46 U.S.C. App. 961) or any corresponding revision, consolidation, and enactment of such subsection in title 46) from the date of the act for which the forfeiture was incurred. Officials of the various States, insular possessions, territories, and commonwealths of the United States shall, upon application of the appropriate customs officer accompanied by a certified copy of the declaration of forfeiture, remove any recorded liens or encumbrances which apply to such property and issue or reissue the necessary certificates of title, registration certificates, or similar documents to the United States or to any transferee of the United States.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
Subsection O of section 30 of the Ship Mortgage Act, 1920 (46 U.S.C. App. 961), referred to in subsec. (b), was classified to section 961 of the former Appendix to Title 46, Shipping, and was repealed and partially reenacted in section 31326(a), 31327, 31328, and 31329 of Title 46, Shipping, by Pub. L. 100–710, title I, §§ 102(c), 106(b)(2), Nov. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 4738, 4752. Section 31328 of Title 46 was subsequently repealed by Pub. L. 104–324, title XI, § 1113(b)(1), Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3970. section 105(a) of Pub. L. 100–710, set out as a note preceding section 101 of Title 46, provides that a reference to a law replaced by section 102 of Pub. L. 100–710 is deemed to refer to the corresponding provision of Pub. L. 100–710. For disposition of sections of the former Appendix to Title 46, see Disposition Table preceding section 101 of Title 46.
Prior Provisions
Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, § 609, 42 Stat. 985. That section was superseded by section 609 of act June 17, 1930, comprising this section, and repealed by section 651(a)(1) of the 1930 act. Provisions for sale of the property by the collector if no claim should be filed or bond given, were contained in R.S. § 3077, prior to repeal by act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, § 642, 42 Stat. 989.
Amendments
1988—Pub. L. 100–690 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section read as follows: “(a) If no such claim is filed or bond given within the twenty days hereinbefore specified, the appropriate customs officer shall declare the vessel, vehicle, aircraft, merchandise, or baggage forfeited, and shall sell the same at public auction in the same manner as merchandise abandoned to the United States is sold or otherwise dispose of the same according to law, and (except as provided in subsection (b) of this section) shall deposit the proceeds of sale, after deducting expenses enumerated in section 1613 of this title into the Customs Forfeiture Fund. “(b) During the period beginning on
October 30, 1984, and ending on
September 30, 1987, the appropriate customs officer shall deposit the proceeds of sale (after deducting such expenses) in the Customs Forfeiture Fund.” 1984—Pub. L. 98–573 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted reference to aircraft, inserted “(except as provided in subsection (b) of this section)” after “according to law, and”, and added subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98–473, § 321, inserted reference to aircraft. Pub. L. 98–473, § 313, substituted “after deducting expenses enumerated in section 1613 of this title into the Customs Forfeiture Fund” for “after deducting the actual expenses of seizure, publication, and sale in the Treasury of the United States”. 1970—Pub. L. 91–271 substituted reference to appropriate customs officer for reference to collector. 1938—Act
June 25, 1938, inserted “or otherwise dispose of the same according to law” after “in the same manner as merchandise abandoned to the United States is sold”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1984 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 98–573 effective Oct. 15, 1984, see section 214(e) of Pub. L. 98–573, set out as a note under section 1304 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1970 AmendmentFor
Effective Date
of amendment by Pub. L. 91–271, see section 203 of Pub. L. 91–271, set out as a note under section 1500 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1938 AmendmentAmendment by act
June 25, 1938, effective on thirtieth day following
June 25, 1938, except as otherwise specifically provided, see section 37 of act
June 25, 1938, set out as a note under section 1401 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
19 U.S.C. § 1609
Title 19 — Customs Duties
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73