Federal · Title 49 — Transportation

49 U.S.C. § 32910: Administrative

Civil

What this law says, in plain English

This statute grants the Secretary and Administrator authority to inspect records, require written reports, conduct hearings, subpoena witnesses, and enforce compliance through court proceedings under federal administrative law.

Read the full statutory text
inspect and copy records of any person at reasonable times; order a person to file written reports or answers to specific questions, including reports or answers under oath; and conduct hearings, administer oaths, take testimony, and subpena witnesses and records the Secretary or Administrator considers advisable. A witness summoned under paragraph (1)(C) of this subsection is entitled to the same fee and mileage the witness would have been paid in a court of the United States. A civil action to enforce a subpena or order of the Secretary or Administrator under subsection (a) of this section may be brought in the district court of the United States for any judicial district in which the proceeding by the Secretary or Administrator is conducted. The court may punish a failure to obey an order of the court to comply with the subpena or order of the Secretary or Administrator as a contempt of court. The Secretary and the Administrator each shall disclose information obtained under this chapter (except information obtained under section 32904(c) of this title ) under section 552 of title 5 . However, the Secretary or Administrator may withhold information under section 552(b)(4) of title 5 only if the Secretary or Administrator decides that disclosure of the information would cause significant competitive damage. A matter referred to in section 552(b)(4) and relevant to an administrative or judicial proceeding under this chapter may be disclosed in that proceeding. A measurement or calculation under section 32904(c) of this title shall be disclosed under section 552 of title 5 without regard to section 552(b). The Administrator may prescribe regulations to carry out duties of the Administrator under this chapter.

Verify at the official source: Federal legislative text

Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.

MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.

This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.