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Title 50, War and National DefenseRelease 119-102

§1812 Statement of Exclusive Means by Which Electronic Surveillance and Interception of Certain Communications May Be Conducted

Title 50 › CHAPTER 36 — FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE › SUBCHAPTER I — ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE › § 1812

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Only the rules in Title 18 (chapters 119, 121, and 206) and the rules in this chapter must be used to carry out electronic surveillance or to intercept domestic phone calls, spoken conversations, or electronic messages. Only a new law that clearly says it allows a different method—and that is not just an amendment to those chapters—can add any other allowed method.

Full Legal Text

Title 50, §1812

War and National Defense, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Except as provided in subsection (b), the procedures of chapters 119, 121, and 206 of title 18 and this chapter shall be the exclusive means by which electronic surveillance and the interception of domestic wire, oral, or electronic communications may be conducted.
(b)Only an express statutory authorization for electronic surveillance or the interception of domestic wire, oral, or electronic communications, other than as an amendment to this chapter or chapters 119, 121, or 206 of title 18 shall constitute an additional exclusive means for the purpose of subsection (a).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 95–511, Oct. 25, 1978, 92 Stat. 1783, known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 1801 of this title and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2008 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 110–261 effective July 10, 2008, except as provided in section 404 of Pub. L. 110–261, set out as a Transition Procedures note under section 1801 of this title, see section 402 of Pub. L. 110–261, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2008 Amendment note under section 1801 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

50 U.S.C. § 1812

Title 50, War and National Defense

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102