Title 33 — Navigation and Navigable WatersRelease 119-73

§411 Penalty for wrongful deposit of refuse; use of or injury to harbor improvements, and obstruction of navigable waters generally

Title 33 › Chapter CHAPTER 9— - PROTECTION OF NAVIGABLE WATERS AND OF HARBOR AND RIVER IMPROVEMENTS GENERALLY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - IN GENERAL › § 411

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Breaking, or knowingly helping someone break, the rules in sections 407, 408, 409, 414, and 415 makes a person or company guilty of a misdemeanor. If found guilty, a person can be fined up to $25,000 per day, jailed from 30 days to one year (for individuals), or both, as the court decides. Half of any fine must be paid to the person who gave the information that led to the conviction.

Full Legal Text

Title 33, §411

Navigation and Navigable Waters — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Every person and every corporation that shall violate, or that shall knowingly aid, abet, authorize, or instigate a violation of the provisions of section 407, 408, 409, 414, and 415 of this title shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of up to $25,000 per day, or by imprisonment (in the case of a natural person) for not less than thirty days nor more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment, in the discretion of the court, one-half of said fine to be paid to the person or persons giving information which shall lead to conviction.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section is from part of section 16 of act Mar. 3, 1899, popularly known as the “Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1899”. The balance of such section, relating to liability of masters, pilots, and so forth and of vessels engaged in violations, is classified to section 412 of this title.

Amendments

1996—Pub. L. 104–303 substituted “407, 408, 409, 414, and 415” for “407, 408, and 409” and “of up to $25,000 per day” for “not exceeding twenty-five hundred dollars nor less than five hundred dollars”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

33 U.S.C. § 411

Title 33 — Navigation and Navigable Waters

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73