republic-os/legal/us/code/title-33/chapter-9/section-403.md

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LegalText	33 U.S.C. § 403	Obstruction of navigable waters generally; wharves; piers, etc.; excavations and filling in	us	united_states_code	code_section	33	NAVIGATION AND NAVIGABLE WATERS	9	PROTECTION OF NAVIGABLE WATERS AND OF HARBOR AND RIVER IMPROVEMENTS GENERALLY	403	33 U.S.C. § 403	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc33@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t33/s403	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-33/usc33.xml	6f76a1e77d084ebece6d9edf781254d8173136b91a6da163963342a7847d4ae7	de3d130b31eae77f8c0fc593f61b7287899297718d678d500eea123559828523	02dec68d09720d6a503deec36441060b8c941dafa914d912770fdcde7b43f923	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

33 U.S.C. § 403 - Obstruction of navigable waters generally; wharves; piers, etc.; excavations and filling in

Text

The creation of any obstruction not affirmatively authorized by Congress, to the navigable capacity of any of the waters of the United States is prohibited; and it shall not be lawful to build or commence the building of any wharf, pier, dolphin, boom, weir, breakwater, bulkhead, jetty, or other structures in any port, roadstead, haven, harbor, canal, navigable river, or other water of the United States, outside established harbor lines, or where no harbor lines have been established, except on plans recommended by the Chief of Engineers and authorized by the Secretary of the Army; and it shall not be lawful to excavate or fill, or in any manner to alter or modify the course, location, condition, or capacity of, any port, roadstead, haven, harbor, canal, lake, harbor of refuge, or inclosure within the limits of any breakwater, or of the channel of any navigable water of the United States, unless the work has been recommended by the Chief of Engineers and authorized by the Secretary of the Army prior to beginning the same.

(Mar. 3, 1899, ch. 425, § 10, 30 Stat. 1151; July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title II, § 205(a), 61 Stat. 501.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

Codification Section is from act Mar. 3, 1899, popularly known as the “Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1899”, and together with section 401 of this title effectively superseded act Sept. 19, 1890, ch. 907, § 7, 26 Stat. 454, as amended generally by act July 13, 1892, ch. 158, § 3, 27 Stat. 88, which prohibited the erection of obstructions to navigation, and prohibited the erection of bridges over navigable waters under State legislation before the approval of the plans by the Secretary of War, and prohibited the alteration of channels unless authorized by that Secretary.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name Department of War designated Department of the Army and title of Secretary of War changed to Secretary of the Army by section 205(a) of act July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title II, 61 Stat. 501. Section 205(a) of act July 26, 1947, was repealed by section 53 of act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 641. Section 1 of act Aug. 10, 1956, enacted “Title 10, Armed Forces” which in sections 3010 to 3013 continued Department of the Army under administrative supervision of Secretary of the Army.

Transfer of Functions Functions, powers, and duties of Secretary of the Army and other offices and officers of Department of the Army under section 401 of this title to extent that they relate generally to location and clearances of bridges and causeways in navigable waters of United States transferred to and vested in Secretary of Transportation by Pub. L. 89–670 § 6(g)(6)(A), Oct. 15, 1966, 80 Stat. 941. Pub. L. 97–449 amended section 401 of this title to reflect transfer made by section 6(g)(6)(A) of Pub. L. 89–670, and repealed section 6(g)(6)(A).

Expediting Repairs and Recovery From FloodingPub. L. 116–260, div. AA, title I, § 122, Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2635, provided that: “(a) In General.—To the maximum extent practicable, during the 5-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 27, 2020], the Secretary [of the Army] shall prioritize and expedite the processing of applications for permits under section 10 of the Act of March 3, 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403), and section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1344), and permissions under section 14 of the Act of March 3, 1899 (33 U.S.C. 408), to complete repairs, reconstruction (including improvements), and upgrades to flood control infrastructure damaged by flooding events during calendar years 2017 through 2020, including flooding events caused by ice jams. “(b) Savings Provision.—Nothing in this section affects any obligation to comply with the requirements of any Federal law, including—“(1) the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); “(2) the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.); and “(3) the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).”

Executive Documents

Transfer of Functions Enforcement functions of Secretary of the Army, Chief of Engineers, or other official in Corps of Engineers of the United States Army related to compliance with permits for structures in navigable waters issued under this section with respect to pre-construction, construction, and initial operation of transportation system for Canadian and Alaskan natural gas were transferred to the Federal Inspector, Office of Federal Inspector for the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System, until the first anniversary of date of initial operation of the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System, see Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1979, §§ 102(b), 203(a), 44 F.R. 33663, 33666, 93 Stat. 1373, 1376, effective July 1, 1979, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. Office of Federal Inspector for the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System abolished and functions and authority vested in Inspector transferred to Secretary of Energy by section 3012(b) of Pub. L. 102–486, set out as an Abolition of Office of Federal Inspector note under section 719e of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. Functions and authority vested in Secretary of Energy subsequently transferred to Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Projects by section 720d(f) of Title 15.