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Title 33, Navigation and Navigable WatersRelease 119-102

§1481 Violations; Penalties

Title 33 › CHAPTER 28 — POLLUTION CASUALTIES ON THE HIGH SEAS: UNITED STATES INTERVENTION › § 1481

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Breaking rules here can be a class A misdemeanor. A person commits that crime if they on purpose break a rule or regulation under this chapter, on purpose refuse a lawful order under it, or on purpose block someone who is carrying out such an order. For the first two crimes, the accused can defend themselves by proving they tried everything reasonable to follow the order and had a reasonable belief that following it would have caused a serious risk to human life.

Full Legal Text

Title 33, §1481

Navigation and Navigable Waters, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)A person commits a class A misdemeanor if that person—
(1)willfully violates a provision of this chapter or a regulation issued thereunder; or
(2)willfully refuses or fails to comply with any lawful order or direction given pursuant to this chapter; or
(3)willfully obstructs any person who is acting in compliance with an order or direction under this chapter.
(b)In a criminal proceeding for an offense under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of this section it shall be a defense for the accused to prove that he used all due diligence to comply with any order or direction that he had reasonable cause to believe that compliance would have resulted in serious risk to human life.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1990—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101–380 substituted “A person commits a class A misdemeanor if that person” for “Any person who” in introductory provisions and struck out “, shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both” after “under this chapter” in par. (3).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1990 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 101–380 applicable to incidents occurring after Aug. 18, 1990, see section 1020 of Pub. L. 101–380, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 2701 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

33 U.S.C. § 1481

Title 33, Navigation and Navigable Waters

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102