| 
      
      
       
 State Lawyer Resources 
 US Lawyer Resources 
 | Crimes and Criminal Procedure - 18 USC Section 843Legal Research Home 
      > US Lawyer > Crimes and Criminal 
      Procedure > Crimes and Criminal Procedure - 18 USC Section 843  01/19/04 
 Sec. 843. Licenses and user permits
(a) An application for a user permit or limited permit or a
 license to import, manufacture, or deal in explosive materials
 shall be in such form and contain such information as the Attorney
 General shall by regulation prescribe, including the names of and
 appropriate identifying information regarding all employees who
 will be authorized by the applicant to possess explosive materials,
 as well as fingerprints and a photograph of each responsible
 person. Each applicant for a license or permit shall pay a fee to
 be charged as set by the Attorney General, said fee not to exceed
 $50 for a limited permit and $200 for any other license or permit.
 Each license or user permit shall be valid for not longer than 3
 years from the date of issuance and each limited permit shall be
 valid for not longer than 1 year from the date of issuance. Each
 license or permit shall be renewable upon the same conditions and
 subject to the same restrictions as the original license or permit,
 and upon payment of a renewal fee not to exceed one-half of the
 original fee.
 (b) Upon the filing of a proper application and payment of the
 prescribed fee, and subject to the provisions of this chapter and
 other applicable laws, the Attorney General shall issue to such
 applicant the appropriate license or permit if -
 
 (1) the applicant (or, if the applicant is a corporation,
 partnership, or association, each responsible person with respect
 to the applicant) is not a person described in section 842(i);
 
 (2) the applicant has not willfully violated any of the
 provisions of this chapter or regulations issued hereunder;
 
 (3) the applicant has in a State premises from which he
 conducts or intends to conduct business;
 
 (4)(A) the Secretary (!1) verifies by inspection or, if the
 application is for an original limited permit or the first or
 second renewal of such a permit, by such other means as the
 Secretary (!1) determines appropriate, that the applicant has a
 place of storage for explosive materials which meets such
 standards of public safety and security against theft as the
 Attorney General by regulations shall prescribe; and
 
 (B) subparagraph (A) shall not apply to an applicant for the
 renewal of a limited permit if the Secretary (!1) has verified,
 by inspection within the preceding 3 years, the matters described
 in subparagraph (A) with respect to the applicant; and
 
 (5) the applicant has demonstrated and certified in writing
 that he is familiar with all published State laws and local
 ordinances relating to explosive materials for the location in
 which he intends to do business;
 
 (6) none of the employees of the applicant who will be
 authorized by the applicant to possess explosive materials is any
 person described in section 842(i); and
 
 (7) in the case of a limited permit, the applicant has
 certified in writing that the applicant will not receive
 explosive materials on more than 6 separate occasions during the
 12-month period for which the limited permit is valid.
 (c) The Attorney General shall approve or deny an application
 within a period of 90 days for licenses and permits, beginning on
 the date such application is received by the Attorney General.
 (d) The Attorney General may revoke any license or permit issued
 under this section if in the opinion of the Attorney General the
 holder thereof has violated any provision of this chapter or any
 rule or regulation prescribed by the Attorney General under this
 chapter, or has become ineligible to acquire explosive materials
 under section 842(d). The Secretary's (!2) action under this
 subsection may be reviewed only as provided in subsection (e)(2) of
 this section.
 (e)(1) Any person whose application is denied or whose license or
 permit is revoked shall receive a written notice from the Attorney
 General stating the specific grounds upon which such denial or
 revocation is based. Any notice of a revocation of a license or
 permit shall be given to the holder of such license or permit prior
 to or concurrently with the effective date of the revocation.
 (2) If the Attorney General denies an application for, or revokes
 a license, or permit, he shall, upon request by the aggrieved
 party, promptly hold a hearing to review his denial or revocation.
 In the case of a revocation, the Attorney General may upon a
 request of the holder stay the effective date of the revocation. A
 hearing under this section shall be at a location convenient to the
 aggrieved party. The Attorney General shall give written notice of
 his decision to the aggrieved party within a reasonable time after
 the hearing. The aggrieved party may, within sixty days after
 receipt of the Secretary's (!2) written decision, file a petition
 with the United States court of appeals for the district in which
 he resides or has his principal place of business for a judicial
 review of such denial or revocation, pursuant to sections 701-706
 of title 5, United States Code.
 (f) Licensees and holders of user permits shall make available
 for inspection at all reasonable times their records kept pursuant
 to this chapter or the regulations issued hereunder, and licensees
 and permittees shall submit to the Attorney General such reports
 and information with respect to such records and the contents
 thereof as he shall by regulations prescribe. The Attorney General
 may enter during business hours the premises (including places of
 storage) of any licensee or holder of a user permit, for the
 purpose of inspecting or examining (1) any records or documents
 required to be kept by such licensee or permittee, under the
 provisions of this chapter or regulations issued hereunder, and (2)
 any explosive materials kept or stored by such licensee or
 permittee at such premises. Upon the request of any State or any
 political subdivision thereof, the Attorney General may make
 available to such State or any political subdivision thereof, any
 information which he may obtain by reason of the provisions of this
 chapter with respect to the identification of persons within such
 State or political subdivision thereof, who have purchased or
 received explosive materials, together with a description of such
 explosive materials. The Secretary (!1) may inspect the places of
 storage for explosive materials of an applicant for a limited
 permit or, at the time of renewal of such permit, a holder of a
 limited permit, only as provided in subsection (b)(4).
 (g) Licenses and user permits issued under the provisions of
 subsection (b) of this section shall be kept posted and kept
 available for inspection on the premises covered by the license and
 permit.
 (h)(1) If the Secretary (!1) receives, from an employer, the name
 and other identifying information of a responsible person or an
 employee who will be authorized by the employer to possess
 explosive materials in the course of employment with the employer,
 the Secretary (!1) shall determine whether the responsible person
 or employee is one of the persons described in any paragraph of
 section 842(i). In making the determination, the Secretary (!1) may
 take into account a letter or document issued under paragraph (2).
 (2)(A) If the Secretary (!1) determines that the responsible
 person or the employee is not one of the persons described in any
 paragraph of section 842(i), the Secretary (!1) shall notify the
 employer in writing or electronically of the determination and
 issue, to the responsible person or employee, a letter of
 clearance, which confirms the determination.
 (B) If the Secretary (!1) determines that the responsible person
 or employee is one of the persons described in any paragraph of
 section 842(i), the Secretary (!1) shall notify the employer in
 writing or electronically of the determination and issue to the
 responsible person or the employee, as the case may be, a document
 that -
 
 (i) confirms the determination;
 
 (ii) explains the grounds for the determination;
 
 (iii) provides information on how the disability may be
 relieved; and
 
 (iv) explains how the determination may be appealed.
 (i) Furnishing of Samples. -
 
 (1) In general. - Licensed manufacturers and licensed importers
 and persons who manufacture or import explosive materials or
 ammonium nitrate shall, when required by letter issued by the
 Secretary,(!1) furnish -
 
 (A) samples of such explosive materials or ammonium nitrate;
 
 (B) information on chemical composition of those products;
 
 and
 
 (C) any other information that the Secretary (!1) determines
 
 is relevant to the identification of the explosive materials or
 
 to identification of the ammonium nitrate.
 
 (2) Reimbursement. - The Secretary (!1) shall, by regulation,
 authorize reimbursement of the fair market value of samples
 furnished pursuant to this subsection, as well as the reasonable
 costs of shipment.
 
 EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2002 AMENDMENT
 Amendment by sections 1112(e)(3) and 1124 of Pub. L. 107-296
 effective 60 days after Nov. 25, 2002, see section 4 of Pub. L.
 107-296, set out as an Effective Date note under section 101 of
 Title 6, Domestic Security.
 Pub. L. 107-296, title XI, Sec. 1122(i), Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat.
 2283, provided that:
 "(1) In general. - The amendments made by this section [amending
 this section and sections 841 and 842 of this title] shall take
 effect 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act [Nov. 25,
 2002].
 "(2) Exception. - Notwithstanding any provision of this Act [see
 Tables for classification], a license or permit issued under
 section 843 of title 18, United States Code, before the date of
 enactment of this Act [Nov. 25, 2002], shall remain valid until
 that license or permit is revoked under section 843(d) or expires,
 or until a timely application for renewal is acted upon."
 CONTINUATION IN BUSINESS OR OPERATION OF ANY PERSON ENGAGED IN
 
 BUSINESS OR OPERATION ON OCTOBER 15, 1970
 Filing of application for a license or permit prior to the
 effective date of this section as authorizing any person engaged in
 a business or operation requiring a license or a permit on Oct. 15,
 1970 to continue such business or operation pending final action on
 such application, see section 1105(c) of Pub. L. 91-452, set out as
 a note under section 841 of this title.
 (!2) So in original. Probably should be "Attorney General's".
 Last modified: April 13, 2006 |