7 USC 7731 – Inspections, seizures, and warrants
(a) Role of Attorney General
The activities authorized by this section shall be carried out consistent with guidelines approved by the Attorney General.
(b) Warrantless inspections
Terms Used In 7 USC 7731
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
- State: means a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory or possession of the United States. See 1 USC 7
The Secretary may stop and inspect, without a warrant, any person or means of conveyance moving—
(1) into the United States to determine whether the person or means of conveyance is carrying any plant, plant product, biological control organism, plant pest, noxious weed, or article subject to this chapter;
(2) in interstate commerce, upon probable cause to believe that the person or means of conveyance is carrying any plant, plant product, biological control organism, plant pest, noxious weed, or article subject to this chapter; and
(3) in intrastate commerce from or within any State, portion of a State, or premises quarantined as part of a extraordinary emergency declared under section 7715 of this title upon probable cause to believe that the person or means of conveyance is carrying any plant, plant product, biological control organism, plant pest, noxious weed, or article regulated under that section or is moving subject to that section.
(c) Inspections with a warrant
(1) General authority
The Secretary may enter, with a warrant, any premises in the United States for the purpose of conducting investigations or making inspections and seizures under this chapter.
(2) Application and issuance of a warrant
Upon proper oath or affirmation showing probable cause to believe that there is on certain premises any plant, plant product, biological control organism, plant pest, noxious weed, article, facility, or means of conveyance regulated under this chapter, a United States judge, a judge of a court of record in the United States, or a United States magistrate judge may, within the judge’s or magistrate’s 1 jurisdiction, issue a warrant for the entry upon the premises to conduct any investigation or make any inspection or seizure under this chapter. The warrant may be applied for and executed by the Secretary or any United States Marshal.