§1559. Warehouse goods deemed abandoned after 5 years

Merchandise upon which any duties or charges are unpaid, remaining in bonded warehouse beyond 5 years from the date of importation, shall be regarded as abandoned to the Government and shall be sold under such regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe, and the proceeds of sale paid into the Treasury, as in the case of unclaimed merchandise covered by section 1493 of this title, subject to the payment to the owner or consignee of such amount, if any, as shall remain after deduction of duties, charges, and expenses. Merchandise upon which all duties and charges have been paid, remaining in bonded warehouse beyond 5 years from the date of importation, shall be held to be no longer in the custody or control of the officers of the customs.

(June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title IV, §559, 46 Stat. 744 ; June 25, 1938, ch. 679, §23(a), 52 Stat. 1088 ; Pub. L. 95–410, title I, §108(b)(1), Oct. 3, 1978, 92 Stat. 892 .)

Prior Provisions

Provisions similar to those in this section were contained in act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, §559, 42 Stat. 977 . That section was superseded by section 559 of act June 17, 1930, comprising this section, and repealed by section 651(a)(1) of the 1930 act.

Prior provisions that goods, remaining in public store or bonded warehouse beyond three years, should be regarded as abandoned and sold, and the proceeds paid into the Treasury, and that the Secretary might pay the proceeds to the owner, etc., after deducting duties, charges and expenses, were contained in R.S. §§2971 and 2972, prior to repeal by act Sept. 21, 1922, ch. 356, title IV, §642, 42 Stat. 989 .

Amendments

1978-Pub. L. 95–410 substituted "5 years" for "three years" wherever appearing.

1938-Act June 25, 1938, struck out "(or ten months in the case of grain)" wherever appearing.

Effective Date of 1978 Amendment

Period of time prior to Oct. 3, 1978, disregarded in application of amendment to merchandise in bonded warehouse, see section 108(b)(1) of Pub. L. 95–410, set out as a note under section 1557 of this title.

Effective Date of 1938 Amendment

Section 23(b) of act June 25, 1938, provided as follows: "The amendments made by subsection (a) of this section [amending this section] shall apply in the case of grain imported prior to the effective date of this act [see note set out under section 1401 of this title] which, on such date, has not become abandoned to the Government under section 491 or 559 of the Tariff Act of 1930 [section 1491 or 1559 of this title], and which has remained in the custody of customs officers."

Extension of Three-Year Period

For extension of three year period prescribed in this section, see Proc. No. 2948, Oct. 12, 1951, 16 F.R. 10589, 65 Stat. c41, set out as a note under section 1318 of this title.

Proc. No. 2599, Nov. 6, 1943, 8 F.R. 15359, 57 Stat. 758, as amended by Proc. No. 2712, Dec. 4, 1946, 11 F.R. 14133, 61 Stat. 1047, was superseded by Proc. No. 2948, Oct. 12, 1951, 16 F.R. 10589, 65 Stat. c41.

Appropriations

Section 2 of act June 26, 1934, ch. 756, 48 Stat. 1225 , which was classified to section 725a of former Title 31, Money and Finance, repealed the permanent appropriation under the title "Refunding proceeds of unclaimed merchandise (Customs) (2x326)" effective July 1, 1935, and provided that such portions of any Acts as make permanent appropriations to be expended under such account are amended so as to authorize, in lieu thereof, annual appropriations from the general fund of the Treasury in identical terms and in such amounts as now provided by the laws providing such permanent appropriations.

Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in section 1491 of this title.