Title 26, Internal Revenue CodeRelease 119-110
§5681 Penalty Relating to Signs
Title 26 › Subtitle E — Alcohol, Tobacco, and Certain Other Excise Taxes › CHAPTER 51 — DISTILLED SPIRITS, WINES, AND BEER › Subchapter J — Penalties, Seizures, and Forfeitures Relating to Liquors › PART IV — PENALTY, SEIZURE, AND FORFEITURE PROVISIONS COMMON TO LIQUORS › § 5681
Summary
People who run a distilled spirits plant must put up the required sign. If they do not, they can be fined up to $1,000, jailed for up to 1 year, or both. People who are not licensed or registered distillers, warehousemen, processors, or qualifying wholesale dealers cannot put up signs saying they are those businesses. Doing so can bring the same fine and jail time. Anyone who works at, or knowingly carries spirits or raw materials to or from, a plant with no required sign can lose any vehicle, aircraft, or vessel used and face the same fine and jail time. If someone is on the premises of a plant that lacks the required sign, simply being there is enough evidence to allow a conviction unless they give a believable explanation to the jury or judge.
Full Legal Text
Title 26, §5681
Internal Revenue Code, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Failure to post required sign
Every person engaged in distilled spirits operations who fails to post the sign required by section 5180(a) shall be fined not more than $1,000, or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both.
(b)Posting or displaying false sign
Every person, other than a distiller, warehouseman, or processor of distilled spirits who has received notice of registration of his plant under the provisions of section 5171(c), or other than a wholesale dealer in liquors who meets the requirements of section 5121(a) and section 5124 (or who is exempt from such requirements by reason of section 5121(b)), who puts up or keeps up any sign indicating that he may lawfully carry on the business of a distiller, warehouseman, or processor of distilled spirits, or wholesale dealer in liquors, as the case may be, shall be fined not more than $1,000, or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both.
(c)Premises where no sign is placed or kept
Every person who works in any distilled spirits plant on which no sign required by section 5180(a) is placed or kept, and every person who knowingly receives at, or carries or conveys any distilled spirits to or from any such distilled spirits plant or who knowingly carries or delivers any grain, molasses, or other raw material to any distilled spirits plant on which such a sign is not placed and kept, shall forfeit all vehicles, aircraft, or vessels used in carrying or conveying such property and shall be fined not more than $1,000, or imprisoned not more than 1 year, or both.
(d)Presumption
Whenever on trial for violation of subsection (c) by working in a distilled spirits plant on which no sign required by section 5180(a) is placed or kept, the defendant is shown to have been present at such premises, such presence of the defendant shall be deemed sufficient evidence to authorize conviction, unless the defendant explains such presence to the satisfaction of the jury (or of the court when tried without jury).
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Prior Provisions
A prior section 5681, act Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 698, consisted of provisions similar to those comprising this section, prior to the general revision of this chapter by Pub. L. 85–859.
Amendments
2018—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 115–141 substituted “who meets the requirements of section 5121(a) and section 5124 (or who is exempt from such requirements by reason of section 5121(b))” for “who has paid the special tax (or who is exempt from payment of such special tax by reason of the provisions of section 5113(a))”. 1997—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105–34, § 1415(b)(1), struck out “, and every wholesale dealer in liquors,” after “spirits operations” and “section 5115(a) or” after “sign required by”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 105–34, § 1415(b)(2), substituted “on which no sign required by” for “or wholesale liquor establishment, on which no sign required by section 5115(a) or” and substituted “or who” for “or wholesale liquor establishment, or who”. 1979—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96–39, § 807(a)(58)(A), substituted “distilled spirits operations” for “distilling, warehousing of distilled spirits, rectifying, or bottling of distilled spirits”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 96–39, § 807(a)(58)(B), substituted “other than a distiller, warehouseman, or processor of distilled spirits” for “other than a distiller, warehouseman of distilled spirits, rectifier, or bottler of distilled spirits”, “section 5171(c)” for “section 5171(a)”, and “business of a distiller, warehouseman, or processor of distilled spirits” for “business of a distiller, bonded warehouseman, rectifier, bottler of distilled spirits”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 96–39, § 807(a)(58)(C), substituted “in any distilled spirits plant” for “in any distillery, or in any rectifying, distilled spirits bottling”, “such distilled spirits plant” for “such distillery, or to or from any such rectifying, distilled spirits bottling”, and “to any distilled spirits plant” for “to any distillery”. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 96–39, § 807(a)(58)(D), substituted “distilled spirits plant” for “distillery or rectifying establishment”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2018 Amendment Pub. L. 115–141, div. U, title I, § 108(b), Mar. 23, 2018, 132 Stat. 1171, provided that: “The amendment made by this section [amending this section] shall take effect as if included in section 11125 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users [Pub. L. 109–59].”
Effective Date
of 1997 Amendment Pub. L. 105–34, title XIV, § 1415(c), Aug. 5, 1997, 111 Stat. 1047, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by this section [amending this section and repealing section 5115 of this title] shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 5, 1997].”
Effective Date
of 1979 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 96–39 effective Jan. 1, 1980, see section 810 of Pub. L. 96–39, set out as a note under section 5001 of this title.
Effective Date
Section effective July 1, 1959, see section 210(a)(1) of Pub. L. 85–859, set out as a note under section 5001 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
26 U.S.C. § 5681
Title 26, Internal Revenue Code
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110