Title 46 — ShippingRelease 119-73not60
§504 Remission of Fees and Penalties
Title 46 › Subtitle Subtitle I— General › Chapter 5— OTHER GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 504
Summary
If someone pays a fee, tax, penalty, or suffers a forfeiture under rules about vessels or seamen, they can ask to have some or all of it returned or canceled. To qualify, they must apply within one year of the payment or forfeiture and show the charge was wrong or too high.
Full Legal Text
Title 46, §504
Shipping — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Any part of a fee, tax, or penalty paid or a forfeiture incurred under a law or regulation relating to vessels or seamen may be remitted if—
(1)application for the remission is made within one year after the date of the payment or forfeiture; and
(2)it is found that the fee, tax, penalty, or forfeiture was improperly or excessively imposed.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 50446:2108. This section replaces 46 U.S.C. 2108, which was enacted as part of the codification of subtitle II of title 46 in 1983. That provision was based on section 26 of the Act of June 26, 1884, ch. 121, 23 Stat. 59, which prior to the subtitle II codification appeared at 46 U.S.C. 8 (1982 ed.). In the enactment of 46 U.S.C. 2108, the scope of the 1884 provision was narrowed, presumably inadvertently. This section restores the remissions authority to its prior scope. Note that 19 C.F.R. § 4.24 (2003) still refers to “the authority to make refunds in accordance with section 26 of the Act of June 26, 1884 (46 U.S.C. 8)” as if that provision had not been replaced by 46 U.S.C. 2108 in 1983.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
46 U.S.C. § 504
Title 46 — Shipping
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60