Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§6302 Prohibited Acts

Title 42 › CHAPTER 77 — ENERGY CONSERVATION › SUBCHAPTER III — IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY › Part A — Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products Other Than Automobiles › § 6302

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

It is illegal for makers, labelers, sellers, distributors, or retailers to put covered new products on the market without required labels, to remove or hide those labels, or to refuse to let officials see or copy required records or reports. It is also illegal to fail to follow certain requirements in section 6296(a), (b)(2), (b)(3), or (b)(5); to sell new products that do not meet energy conservation standards unless a stricter regional standard applies; to knowingly sell to buyers who routinely break regional standards; and to sell adapters that let non-medium-screw-base incandescent bulbs fit medium-screw sockets and that can operate at voltages that include the 110–130 volt range. It is also illegal to activate, give activation keys for, enable full operation of, or remove the label from a grid-enabled water heater when you know it is not used in an electric thermal storage or demand response program. New covered product: a product that has not been sold to a final purchaser (sales for resale or leases over one year are excluded).

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §6302

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general
It shall be unlawful—
(1)for any manufacturer or private labeler to distribute in commerce any new covered product to which a rule under section 6294 of this title applies, unless such covered product is labeled in accordance with such rule;
(2)for any manufacturer, distributor, retailer, or private labeler to remove from any new covered product or render illegible any label required to be provided with such product under a rule under section 6294 of this title;
(3)for any manufacturer to fail to permit access to, or copying of, records required to be supplied under this part, or fail to make reports or provide other information required to be supplied under this part;
(4)for any person to fail to comply with an applicable requirement of section 6296(a), (b)(2), (b)(3), or (b)(5) of this title;
(5)for any manufacturer or private labeler to distribute in commerce any new covered product which is not in conformity with an applicable energy conservation standard established in or prescribed under this part, except to the extent that the new covered product is covered by a regional standard that is more stringent than the base national standard;
(6)for any manufacturer or private labeler to knowingly sell a product to a distributor, contractor, or dealer with knowledge that the entity routinely violates any regional standard applicable to the product;
(7)for any manufacturer, distributor, retailer, or private labeler to distribute in commerce an adapter that—
(A)is designed to allow an incandescent lamp that does not have a medium screw base to be installed into a fixture or lampholder with a medium screw base socket; and
(B)is capable of being operated at a voltage range at least partially within 110 and 130 volts; or
(8)for any person—
(A)to activate an activation lock for a grid-enabled water heater with knowledge that such water heater is not used as part of an electric thermal storage or demand response program;
(B)to distribute an activation key for a grid-enabled water heater with knowledge that such activation key will be used to activate a grid-enabled water heater that is not used as part of an electric thermal storage or demand response program;
(C)to otherwise enable a grid-enabled water heater to operate at its designed specification and capabilities with knowledge that such water heater is not used as part of an electric thermal storage or demand response program; or
(D)to knowingly remove or render illegible the label of a grid-enabled water heater described in section 6295(e)(6)(A)(ii)(V) of this title.
(b)“New covered product” defined
For purposes of this section, the term “new covered product” means a covered product the title of which has not passed to a purchaser who buys such product for purposes other than (1) reselling such product, or (2) leasing such product for a period in excess of one year.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (a)(6) to (8). Pub. L. 114–11 redesignated par. (6) relating to prohibition of distribution in commerce of certain adapters as (7) and added par. (8). 2007—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 110–140, § 321(e)(1), which directed the striking out of “or” after semicolon at end, could not be executed after amendment by Pub. L. 110–140, § 306(b)(1). See below. Pub. L. 110–140, § 306(b)(1), struck out “or” after semicolon at end. Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 110–140, § 321(e)(2), which directed substitution of “; or” for period at end, could not be executed after amendment by Pub. L. 110–140, § 306(b)(2). See below. Pub. L. 110–140, § 306(b)(2), substituted “part, except to the extent that the new covered product is covered by a regional standard that is more stringent than the base national standard; or” for “part.” Subsec. (a)(6). Pub. L. 110–140, § 321(e)(3), added par. (6) relating to prohibition of distribution in commerce of certain adapters. Pub. L. 110–140, § 306(b)(3), added par. (6) relating to sale of a product to a distributor, contractor, or dealer with knowledge that the entity routinely violates a regional standard. 1987—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–12, § 11(b)(5)(A), inserted heading. Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 100–12, § 11(a)(3), substituted “energy conservation standard established in or prescribed under” for “energy efficiency standard prescribed under”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 100–12, § 11(b)(5)(B), inserted heading.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2007 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 110–140 effective on the date that is 1 day after Dec. 19, 2007, see section 1601 of Pub. L. 110–140, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 1824 of Title 2, The Congress.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 6302

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110