# 2024-31204: Government Raises Prices on Breaking Federal Laws Due to Inflation

2024-31204, Civil Monetary Penalty Adjustments for Inflation, is a Federal Register rule from an unnamed agency published 2025-01-02, effective 2025-01-02 (as of 2026-06-08).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2024-31204
- As of: 2026-06-08
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2024-31204
- Title: Civil Monetary Penalty Adjustments for Inflation
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: unknown
- Citation: unknown
- Published: 2025-01-02
- Effective: 2025-01-02
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-06-08

## In one line

Government Raises Prices on Breaking Federal Laws Due to Inflation

## Summary

Starting January 2, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security is raising civil penalty amounts to keep up with inflation. This means anyone facing fines from DHS-related violations after November 2, 2015, will see updated, usually higher penalties. These changes help keep penalties fair and effective in stopping rule-breakers.

## Abstract

In this final rule, DHS adjusts for inflation its civil monetary penalties for 2025, in accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 and Executive Office of the President (EOP) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance. The new penalty amounts will be effective for penalties assessed after January 2, 2025, whose associated violations occurred after November 2, 2015.

## Effects PRIA read

- DHS fines increased for inflation: cost, medium. Starting January 2, 2025, DHS is increasing its civil monetary penalties using the OMB cost-of-living multiplier 1.02598. The new amounts apply to penalties assessed after January 2, 2025 for violations that occurred after November 2, 2015.
- Employers face higher immigration-related fines: cost, high. Under the ICE adjustments effective January 2, 2025, employer penalties for hiring or retaining unauthorized workers and related violations rise. Examples: first-offense hiring penalties become $716–$5,724 per unauthorized worker; second-offense $5,724–$14,308; third-or-subsequent $8,586–$28,619; I…
- Travelers and carriers face slightly higher CBP fines: cost, low. CBP penalty amounts are adjusted effective January 2, 2025 using the 1.02598 multiplier. Examples include arrival/departure manifest penalties rising to $1,740, landing requirement penalties to $4,730, and improper entry penalties to $100–$500.
- Maritime and environmental Coast Guard fines go up: cost, medium. The Coast Guard adjusted many maritime and pollution-related civil penalties effective January 2, 2025 using the 1.02598 multiplier. Examples: pollution-from-ships penalties rise to $93,058, certain oil-discharge totals to $295,564, and shore protection penalties to $65,653. Some Tariff Act–enacted…
- TSA raises aviation and security penalty limits: cost, medium. TSA updated penalty limits effective January 2, 2025 using the 1.02598 multiplier. Examples: a violation of 49 U.S.C. chapter 449 can be up to $42,657 per civil penalty action; certain individual or small-business penalty totals rise to $17,062; other title 49 penalties rise to $14,602.
- No CFATS penalty change due to expired authority: benefit, low. DHS did not adjust the maximum civil penalty for the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) because CFATS regulatory authority lapsed on July 28, 2023. The CFATS regulation text in 6 CFR part 27 remains inactive, so DHS is not changing that penalty amount now.

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## Sources
- [2024-31204 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/01/02/2024-31204/civil-monetary-penalty-adjustments-for-inflation)
- [2024-31204 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-01-02/pdf/2024-31204.pdf)

## Related
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- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2024-31204 (as of 2026-06-08).