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Title 19, Customs DutiesRelease 119-102

§1457 Time for Unlading

Title 19 › CHAPTER 4 — TARIFF ACT OF 1930 › SUBTITLE III — ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › Part II — Report, Entry, and Unlading of Vessels and Vehicles › § 1457

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

If goods from a foreign port stay on a ship or vehicle more than twenty-five days after the day the ship or vehicle was reported to customs, a customs officer can take the goods and have them unloaded at the owners’ expense and risk. The officer can also place one or more inspectors or other customs officers on board to protect customs revenue. The owner or master (captain) of the ship or vehicle must repay the Government for the inspector’s pay and living expenses while the inspector is on board.

Full Legal Text

Title 19, §1457

Customs Duties, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Whenever any merchandise remains on board any vessel or vehicle from a foreign port more than twenty-five days after the date on which report of said vessel or vehicle was made, the appropriate customs officer may take possession of such merchandise and cause the same to be unladen at the expense and risk of the owners thereof, or may place one or more inspectors or other customs officers on board of said vessel or vehicle to protect the revenue. The compensation and expenses of any such inspector or customs officer for subsistence while on board of such vessel or vehicle shall be reimbursed to the Government by the owner or master of such vessel or vehicle.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in R.S. §§ 2879, 2880 and 2969 (as amended by act
May 9, 1896, ch. 164, 29 Stat. 115), which were superseded by act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, § 456, 42 Stat. 955, and were repealed by section 642 thereof. section 456 of the 1922 act was superseded by section 457 of act
June 17, 1930, comprising this section, and repealed by section 651(a)(1) of the 1930 act.

Amendments

1970—Pub. L. 91–271 substituted reference to appropriate customs officer for reference to collector.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

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.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

19 U.S.C. § 1457

Title 19, Customs Duties

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102