49 USC § 13521 - General jurisdiction

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t49/s13521"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "49 USC § 13521 - General jurisdiction"
title_number: 49
title_name: "TRANSPORTATION"
section_number: "13521"
section_name: "General jurisdiction"
chapter_number: 135
chapter_name: "JURISDICTION"
subchapter_number: "II"
subchapter_name: "WATER CARRIER TRANSPORTATION"
part_number: "B"
part_name: "MOTOR CARRIERS, WATER CARRIERS, BROKERS, AND FREIGHT FORWARDERS"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-17"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 104–88, title I, § 103, Dec. 29, 1995, 109 Stat. 865.)"
---


# § 13521. General jurisdiction

**(a)** **General Rules.—** The Secretary and the Board have jurisdiction over transportation insofar as water carriers are concerned—

**(1)** by water carrier between a place in a State and a place in another State, even if part of the transportation is outside the United States;

**(2)** by water carrier and motor carrier from a place in a State to a place in another State; except that if part of the transportation is outside the United States, the Secretary only has jurisdiction over that part of the transportation provided—

**(A)** by motor carrier that is in the United States; and

**(B)** by water carrier that is from a place in the United States to another place in the United States; and

**(3)** by water carrier or by water carrier and motor carrier between a place in the United States and a place outside the United States, to the extent that—

**(A)** when the transportation is by motor carrier, the transportation is provided in the United States;

**(B)** when the transportation is by water carrier to a place outside the United States, the transportation is provided by water carrier from a place in the United States to another place in the United States before transshipment from a place in the United States to a place outside the United States; and

**(C)** when the transportation is by water carrier from a place outside the United States, the transportation is provided by water carrier from a place in the United States to another place in the United States after transshipment to a place in the United States from a place outside the United States.

**(b)** **Definitions.—** In this section, the terms “State” and “United States” include the territories and possessions of the United States.

---

**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 104–88, title I, § 103, Dec. 29, 1995, 109 Stat. 865.)

## Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in  prior to the general amendment of this subtitle by .

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

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