Title 49TransportationRelease 119-73

§522 Reporting and record keeping violations

Title 49 › Subtitle SUBTITLE I— - DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION › Chapter CHAPTER 5— - SPECIAL AUTHORITY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - PENALTIES › § 522

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Anyone who must send reports or keep records about rail transportation for the Secretary of Transportation and who intentionally falsifies them — by putting in false information, destroying or changing records, leaving out business facts, breaking the Secretary’s record rules, or filing a false report — can be fined up to $5,000, jailed for up to 2 years, or both.

Full Legal Text

Title 49, §522

Transportation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

A person required to make a report to the Secretary of Transportation, or make, prepare, or preserve a record, under section 504 of this title about transportation by rail carrier, that knowingly and willfully (1) makes a false entry in the report or record, (2) destroys, mutilates, changes, or by another means falsifies the record, (3) does not enter business related facts and transactions in the record, (4) makes, prepares, or preserves the record in violation of a regulation or order of the Secretary, or (5) files a false report or record with the Secretary, shall be fined not more than $5,000, imprisoned for not more than 2 years, or both.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 52249:1655(f)(2).Oct. 15, 1966, Pub. L. 89–670, § 6(f)(2), 80 Stat. 940. 522(b)49:304(a)(3) (last sentence) (related to “Sec. 322(g)”).Feb. 4, 1887, ch. 104, 24 Stat. 379, § 204(a)(3) (last sentence) (related to “Sec. 222(g)”); added Aug. 9, 1935, ch. 498, 49 Stat. 546. 49:304(a)(3a) (last sentence) (related to “Sec. 322(g)”).Feb. 4, 1887, ch. 104, 24 Stat. 379, § 204(a)(3a) (last sentence) (related to “Sec. 222(g)”); added Aug. 3, 1956, ch. 905, § 2, 70 Stat. 958. The section is included because 49:1655(f)(2) gave the same administrative powers exercised by the Interstate Commerce Commission under certain sections of title 49 to the Secretary of Transportation to carry out duties transferred to the Secretary by 49:1655(e). See the revision notes for section 501 of the revised title for an explanation of the transfer under 49:1655(f)(2). The powers of the Commission have been codified in subtitle IV of the revised title. The comparable provisions of title 49 that are represented by the section may be found as follows: section 52249 U.S. CodeRevised Section (a)20(7)(b) (less proviso).11909 (b)322(g).11909 See the revision notes for the revised section for an explanation of changes made in the text. Changes not accounted for in those revision notes are as follows: The text of 49:304(a)(3) (last sentence 1st–7th words) and (3a) (last sentence 1st–5th words) is omitted as executed.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1998—Pub. L. 105–178 struck out “(a)” before “A person required to make a report to the Secretary of Transportation” and struck out subsec. (b) which read as follows: “A person required to make a report to the Secretary, answer a question, or make, prepare, or preserve a record under section 504 of this title about transportation by motor carrier, motor carrier of migrant workers, or motor private carrier, or an officer, agent, or employee of that person, that (1) willfully does not make that report, (2) willfully does not specifically, completely, and truthfully answer that question in 30 days from the date the Secretary requires the question to be answered, (3) willfully does not make, prepare, or preserve that record in the form and manner prescribed by the Secretary, (4) knowingly and willfully falsifies, destroys, mutilates, or changes that report or record, (5) knowingly and willfully files a false report or record with the Secretary, (6) knowingly and willfully makes a false or incomplete entry in that record about a business related fact or transaction, or (7) knowingly and willfully makes, prepares, or preserves a record in violation of a regulation or order of the Secretary, shall be fined not more than $5,000.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

49 U.S.C. § 522

Title 49Transportation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73