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Title 49 — TransportationRelease 119-73not60

§44727 Runway Safety Areas

Title 49 › Subtitle SUBTITLE VII— AVIATION PROGRAMS › Part A— AIR COMMERCE AND SAFETY › Subpart iii— safety › Chapter 447— SAFETY REGULATION › § 44727

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Airports in Alaska cannot be forced to shorten a runway or to say a runway is shorter than its actual pavement length just to meet FAA runway safety area rules. The Secretary of Transportation must study runways at airports in other States to find which ones would be affected by those FAA runway safety area rules and how airport operations would change if owners had to shorten or declare shorter runways to meet them. The Secretary must send a report with the study results to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives no later than 9 months after the law is enacted.

Full Legal Text

Title 49, §44727

Transportation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)An airport owner or operator in the State of Alaska shall not be required to reduce the length of a runway or declare the length of a runway to be less than the actual pavement length in order to meet standards of the Federal Aviation Administration applicable to runway safety areas.
(b)(1)The Secretary shall conduct a study of runways at airports in States other than Alaska to determine which airports are affected by standards of the Federal Aviation Administration applicable to runway safety areas and to assess how operations at those airports would be affected if the owner or operator of the airport is required to reduce the length of a runway or declare the length of a runway to be less than the actual pavement length in order to meet such standards.
(2)Not later than 9 months after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report containing the results of the study.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The date of enactment of this section, referred to in subsec. (b)(2), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 108–176, which was approved Dec. 12, 2003.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section applicable only to fiscal years beginning after Sept. 30, 2003, except as otherwise specifically provided, see section 3 of Pub. L. 108–176, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2003 Amendment note under section 106 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

49 U.S.C. § 44727

Title 49 — Transportation

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60