PRIA Logo™
Title 19, Customs DutiesRelease 119-110

§2581 Auction of Import Licenses

Title 19 › CHAPTER 13 — TRADE AGREEMENTS ACT OF 1979 › SUBCHAPTER III — MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS › § 2581

Last updated Sep 23, 2026|Official source

Summary

The President can sell import licenses at public auctions and set the rules for those sales. The rules must, as much as possible, keep a few big importers from taking most of the imports and should be fair and efficient. An "import license" means the paperwork used to control quantity limits set or changed after July 26, 1979 under certain trade and emergency laws. That includes parts of the Trade Act of 1974, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, some Harmonized Tariff Schedule rules (but not the Agriculture Adjustment Act section 22 limits), the Trading With the Enemy Act, part of the Agricultural Act of 1956 (except for meat), and laws made to carry out international trade agreements (but not for cheese or dairy).

Full Legal Text

Title 19, §2581

Customs Duties, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President may sell import licenses at public auction under such terms and conditions as he deems appropriate. Regulations prescribed under this subsection shall, to the extent practicable and consistent with efficient and fair administration, insure against inequitable sharing of imports by a relatively small number of the larger importers.
(b)“Import license” defined
For purposes of this section, the term “import license” means any documentation used to administer a quantitative restriction imposed or modified after July 26, 1979 under—
(1)section 125, 203, 301, or 406 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2135, 2253, 2411, or 2436),
(2)the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701–1706),
(3)authority under the notes of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, but not including any quantitative restriction imposed under section 22 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1934 (7 U.S.C. 624),
(4)the Trading With the Enemy Act (50 U.S.C. App. 1–44),
(5)section 204 of the Agricultural Act of 1956 (7 U.S.C. 1854) other than for meat or meat products, or
(6)any Act enacted explicitly for the purpose of implementing an international agreement to which the United States is a party, including such agreements relating to commodities, but not including any agreement relating to cheese or dairy products.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The International Emergency Economic Powers Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(2), is Pub. L. 95–223, title II, Dec. 28, 1977, 91 Stat. 1626, which is classified generally to chapter 35 (§ 1701 et seq.) of Title 50, War and National Defense. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1701 of Title 50 and Tables. The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, referred to in subsec. (b)(3), is not set out in the Code. See Publication of Harmonized Tariff Schedule note set out under section 1202 of this title. The Trading With the Enemy Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(4), is act Oct. 6, 1917, ch. 106, 40 Stat. 411, which was classified generally to sections 1 to 6, 7 to 39 and 41 to 44 of the former Appendix to Title 50, War and National Defense, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as chapter 53 (§ 4301 et seq.) of Title 50. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables.

Amendments

1988—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 100–418 substituted “notes of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States” for “headnotes of the Tariff Schedules of the United States”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1988 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 100–418 effective Jan. 1, 1989, and applicable with respect to articles entered on or after such date, see section 1217(b)(1) of Pub. L. 100–418, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 3001 of this title.

Effective Date

Pub. L. 96–39, title XI, § 1114,
July 26, 1979, 93 Stat. 317, provided that: “Except as otherwise provided in this title, this title [enacting this subchapter, amending the Tariff Schedules of the United States and section 1315, 1337, 2112, 2119, 2131, 2155, 2192, 2253, 2432, 2434, 2435, 2462, 2463, 2464, 2481, and 2486 of this title, section 5315 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees, and section 301 of Title 13, Census, enacting provisions set out as notes under section 2111, 2112, and 2464 of this title and 301 of Title 13, and amending a provision set out as a note under section 2101 of this title] shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act [
July 26, 1979].”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

19 U.S.C. § 2581

Title 19, Customs Duties

Last Updated

Sep 23, 2026

Release point: 119-110