19 U.S.C. § 482
Section 482 · Search of vehicles and persons
Amended 1 time on record
Applied in 268 court decisions — leading case United States v. Ramsey (1977)
Most recently applied in Kovac v. Wray (July 2024)
Applied most in the Ninth Circuit Circuit (63 decisions)
Cases citing this section usually also cite 21 U.S.C. § 841 · 19 U.S.C. § 1581 · 19 U.S.C. § 1582
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.
(a) Any of the officers or persons authorized to board or search vessels may stop, search, and examine, as well without as within their respective districts, any vehicle, beast, or person, on which or whom he or they shall suspect there is merchandise which is subject to duty, or shall have been introduced into the United States in any manner contrary to law, whether by the person in possession or charge, or by, in, or upon such vehicle or beast, or otherwise, and to search any trunk or envelope, wherever found, in which he may have a reasonable cause to suspect there is merchandise which was imported contrary to law; and if any such officer or other person so authorized shall find any merchandise on or about any such vehicle, beast, or person, or in any such trunk or envelope, which he shall have reasonable cause to believe is subject to duty, or to have been unlawfully introduced into the United States, whether by the person in possession or charge, or by, in, or upon such vehicle, beast, or otherwise, he shall seize and secure the same for trial.
(b) Any officer or employee of the United States conducting a search of a person pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall not be held liable for any civil damages as a result of such search if the officer or employee performed the search in good faith and used reasonable means while effectuating such search.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
Codification
R.S. §3061 derived from act July 18, 1866, ch. 201, §3, 14 Stat. 178.
Amendments
2002—Pub. L. 107–210 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and added subsec. (b).
Requirement To Post Policy and Procedures for Searches of Passengers
Pub. L. 107–210, div. A, title III, §341(b), Aug. 6, 2002, 116 Stat. 980, provided that: “Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Aug. 6, 2002], the Commissioner of Customs shall ensure that at each Customs border facility appropriate notice is posted that provides a summary of the policy and procedures of the Customs Service for searching passengers, including a statement of the policy relating to the prohibition on the conduct of profiling of passengers based on gender, race, color, religion, or ethnic background.”
[For transfer of functions, personnel, assets, and liabilities of the United States Customs Service of the Department of the Treasury, including functions of the Secretary of the Treasury relating thereto, to the Secretary of Homeland Security, and for treatment of related references, see sections 203(1), 551(d), 552(d), and 557 of Title 6, Domestic Security, and the Department of Homeland Security Reorganization Plan of November 25, 2002, as modified, set out as a note under section 542 of Title 6.]