---
type: "LegalText"
title: "19 U.S.C. § 1646a"
description: "Supervision by customs officers"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 19
title_name: "CUSTOMS DUTIES"
chapter_number: "4"
chapter_name: "TARIFF ACT OF 1930"
section: "1646a"
citation: "19 U.S.C. § 1646a"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc19@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t19/s1646a"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-19/usc19.xml"
source_hash: "225a4d9efbbf5d19d9c33a31f7fe61e01e7f9326ab7360c56d83eb43309af039"
raw_snapshot_hash: "c90da65eeb9b6895d254e48af923eedc3b1275c7e88d986eb56f934bfcdfdf5c"
text_hash: "35d76f0931fb83ef4b98695fab9cd52e6e63f34c9050c432f7cd279216458141"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 19 U.S.C. § 1646a - Supervision by customs officers

## Text

Wherever in this chapter any action or thing is required to be done or maintained under the supervision of customs officers, such supervision may be directed and continuous or by occasional verification as may be required by regulations of the Secretary of the Treasury, or, in the absence of such regulations for a particular case, as the principal customs officer concerned shall direct.

(June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title IV, § 646, as added Aug. 8, 1953, ch. 397, § 22, 67 Stat. 520.)

## Notes

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective DateSection effective on and after thirtieth day following Aug. 8, 1953, see Effective Date of 1953 Amendments note set out under section 1304 of this title.