Title 6, Domestic SecurityRelease 119-110

§124 Homeland Security Advisory System

Title 6 › CHAPTER 1 — HOMELAND SECURITY ORGANIZATION › SUBCHAPTER II — INFORMATION ANALYSIS › Part A — Information and Analysis; Access to Information › § 124

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must run the Homeland Security Advisory System and give warnings about terrorism risks to federal, state, local, and tribal officials and to the American public. The Secretary has the main job of sending those advisories. The Secretary must set rules and a method for when to issue and cancel warnings. Each warning must give specific, practical steps people, governments, first responders, and businesses can take, with as much detail as possible. When possible, warnings should target the affected region, city, or economic area. Warnings cannot use only color codes to show threat levels.

Full Legal Text

Title 6, §124

Domestic Security, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Requirement

The Secretary shall administer the Homeland Security Advisory System in accordance with this section to provide advisories or warnings regarding the threat or risk that acts of terrorism will be committed on the homeland to Federal, State, local, and tribal government authorities and to the people of the United States, as appropriate. The Secretary shall exercise primary responsibility for providing such advisories or warnings.

(b)Required elements

In administering the Homeland Security Advisory System, the Secretary shall—

(1)establish criteria for the issuance and revocation of such advisories or warnings;

(2)develop a methodology, relying on the criteria established under paragraph (1), for the issuance and revocation of such advisories or warnings;

(3)provide, in each such advisory or warning, specific information and advice regarding appropriate protective measures and countermeasures that may be taken in response to the threat or risk, at the maximum level of detail practicable to enable individuals, government entities, emergency response providers, and the private sector to act appropriately;

(4)whenever possible, limit the scope of each such advisory or warning to a specific region, locality, or economic sector believed to be under threat or at risk; and

(5)not, in issuing any advisory or warning, use color designations as the exclusive means of specifying homeland security threat conditions that are the subject of the advisory or warning.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

6 U.S.C. § 124

Title 6, Domestic Security

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110