18 U.S.C. § 1363
Section 1363 · Buildings or property within special maritime and territorial jurisdiction
Amended 4 times on record
Applied in 32 court decisions — leading case United States v. Sharpnack (1958)
Most recently applied in United States v. Victor Everette Silvers (February 2025)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
Whoever, within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, willfully and maliciously destroys or injures any structure, conveyance, or other real or personal property, or attempts or conspires to do such an act, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both, and if the building be a dwelling, or the life of any person be placed in jeopardy, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§464, 465 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, §§285, 286, 35 Stat. 1144).
Said sections were consolidated and rewritten both as to form and substance. The provisions relating to arson are incorporated in section 81 of this title. (See reviser's note under said section 81 of this title for explanation of changes.)
Amendments
2001—Pub. L. 107–56 struck out “or attempts to destroy or injure” after “destroys or injures” and inserted “or attempts or conspires to do such an act,” after “personal property,”.
1996—Pub. L. 104–132 substituted “any structure, conveyance, or other real or personal property” for “any building, structure or vessel, any machinery or building materials and supplies, military or naval stores, munitions of war or any structural aids or appliances for navigation or shipping”.
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $1,000” after “shipping, shall be” and for “fined not more than $5,000” after “jeopardy, shall be”.