Title 46ShippingRelease 119-73

§504 Remission of fees and penalties

Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle I— - General › Chapter CHAPTER 5— - OTHER GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 504

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Officials may refund or cancel all or part of a fee, tax, penalty, or forfeiture paid under laws about vessels or seamen if two things happen. A person must ask within one year of the payment or forfeiture, and officials must find the charge was wrong or too high.

Full Legal Text

Title 46, §504

Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Any part of a fee, tax, or penalty paid or a forfeiture incurred under a law or regulation relating to vessels or seamen may be remitted if—
(1)application for the remission is made within one year after the date of the payment or forfeiture; and
(2)it is found that the fee, tax, penalty, or forfeiture was improperly or excessively imposed.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 50446:2108. This section replaces 46 U.S.C. 2108, which was enacted as part of the codification of subtitle II of title 46 in 1983. That provision was based on section 26 of the Act of June 26, 1884, ch. 121, 23 Stat. 59, which prior to the subtitle II codification appeared at 46 U.S.C. 8 (1982 ed.). In the enactment of 46 U.S.C. 2108, the scope of the 1884 provision was narrowed, presumably inadvertently. This section restores the remissions authority to its prior scope. Note that 19 C.F.R. § 4.24 (2003) still refers to “the authority to make refunds in accordance with section 26 of the Act of June 26, 1884 (46 U.S.C. 8)” as if that provision had not been replaced by 46 U.S.C. 2108 in 1983.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

46 U.S.C. § 504

Title 46Shipping

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73