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Title 49 — TransportationRelease 119-73not60

§44916 Assessments and Evaluations

Title 49 › Subtitle SUBTITLE VII— AVIATION PROGRAMS › Part A— AIR COMMERCE AND SAFETY › Subpart iii— safety › Chapter 449— SECURITY › Subchapter I— REQUIREMENTS › § 44916

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The head of the Transportation Security Administration must make every airline and airport that offers flights within a state, between states, or to other countries do regular checks for security weaknesses. Airport owners or operators must work with the airlines and vendors that serve the airport on these checks. The TSA will also audit those checks from time to time. The TSA must also carry out regular surprise inspections of airport and airline security to see how well they work and where they are weak. When the law allows, the TSA may run anonymous tests of those security systems.

Full Legal Text

Title 49, §44916

Transportation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration shall require each air carrier and airport (including the airport owner or operator in cooperation with the air carriers and vendors serving each airport) that provides for intrastate, interstate, or foreign air transportation to conduct periodic vulnerability assessments of the security systems of that air carrier or airport, respectively. The Transportation Security Administration shall perform periodic audits of such assessments.
(b)The Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration shall conduct periodic and unannounced inspections of security systems of airports and air carriers to determine the effectiveness and vulnerabilities of such systems. To the extent allowable by law, the Administrator may provide for anonymous tests of those security systems.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2018—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–254, § 1991(d)(14)(A), substituted “Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration” for “Under Secretary of Transportation for Security”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 115–254, § 1991(d)(14)(B), substituted “Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration shall” for “Under Secretary shall” and “Administrator may” for “Under Secretary may”. 2001—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 107–71, § 101(f)(3), substituted “Under Secretary of Transportation for Security” for “Administrator” in first sentence and “Transportation Security Administration” for “Administration” in second sentence. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 107–71, § 101(f)(7), substituted “Under Secretary” for “Administrator” in two places.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Except as otherwise specifically provided, section applicable only to fiscal years beginning after Sept. 30, 1996, and not to be construed as affecting funds made available for a fiscal year ending before Oct. 1, 1996, see section 3 of Pub. L. 104–264, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1996 Amendment note under section 106 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

49 U.S.C. § 44916

Title 49 — Transportation

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60