Title 49, TransportationRelease 119-110
§32309 Civil Penalty for Labeling Violations
Title 49 › SUBTITLE VI — MOTOR VEHICLE AND DRIVER PROGRAMS › PART C — INFORMATION, STANDARDS, AND REQUIREMENTS › CHAPTER 323 — CONSUMER INFORMATION › § 32309
Summary
Manufacturers and dealers must attach and keep the required label on new passenger vehicles; terms follow the vehicle‑label rules. A manufacturer's willful omission or a dealer's failure to maintain the label can be fined up to $1,000 for each vehicle.
Full Legal Text
Title 49, §32309
Transportation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Definitions.—
The definitions in section 32304 of this title apply to this section.
(b)Penalties.—
A manufacturer of a passenger motor vehicle distributed in commerce for sale in the United States that willfully fails to attach the label required under section 32304 of this title to a new passenger motor vehicle that the manufacturer manufactures or imports, or a dealer that fails to maintain that label as required under section 32304, is liable to the United States Government for a civil penalty of not more than $1,000 for each violation. Each failure to attach or maintain that label for each vehicle is a separate violation.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Pub. L. 103–272 Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 32309(a)(no source). 32309(b)15:1950(e).Oct. 20, 1972, Pub. L. 92–513, 86 Stat. 947, § 210(e); added Oct. 6, 1992, Pub. L. 102–388, § 355, 106 Stat. 1557. Subsection (a) is added to ensure that the definitions in 15:1950(f), restated in section 32304 of the revised title, apply to the source provision restated in this section. In subsection (b), the words “Each failure to attach or maintain that label” are substituted for “Such failure” for clarity. Pub. L. 103–429This amends the catchline for 49:32309 to correct an error in the codification enacted by section 1 of the Act of July 5, 1994 (Public Law 103–272, 108 Stat. 1042).
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–429 substituted “Civil” for “Criminal” in section catchline.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1994 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 103–429 effective July 5, 1994, see section 9 of Pub. L. 103–429, set out as a note under section 321 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
49 U.S.C. § 32309
Title 49, Transportation
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110