View all text of Subpart I [§ 319.40-1 - § 319.40-11]
§ 319.40-3 - General permits; articles that may be imported without a specific permit; articles that may be imported without either a specific permit or an importer document.
(a) Canada and Mexico. (1) The following articles may be imported into the United States under general permit:
(i) From Canada: Regulated articles, other than the following:
(A) Regulated articles of the subfamilies Aurantioideae, Rutoideae, and Toddalioideae of the botanical family Rutaceae; and
(B) Regulated articles of Fraxinus spp. (ash), which are subject to the requirements in § 319.40-5(n).
(ii) From States in Mexico adjacent to the United States: Commercial and noncommercial shipments of mesquite wood for cooking; commercial and noncommercial shipments of unmanufactured wood for firewood; and small, noncommercial packages of unmanufactured wood for personal cooking or personal medicinal purposes.
(2) Commercial shipments allowed in paragraph (a)(1) of this section are subject to the inspection and other requirements in § 319.40-9 and must be accompanied by an importer document stating that they are derived from trees harvested in Canada or States in Mexico adjacent to the United States border.
(3) Noncommercial shipments allowed in paragraph (a)(1) of this section are subject to inspection and other requirements of § 319.40-9 and must be accompanied by an importer document or oral declaration stating that they are derived from trees harvested in Canada or States in Mexico adjacent to the United States border.
(b) Regulated wood packaging material. Regulated wood packaging material, whether in actual use as packing for regulated or nonregulated articles or imported as cargo, may be imported into the United States under a general permit in accordance with the following conditions:
(1) The wood packaging material must have been treated in accordance with part 305 of this chapter.
(2) Marking. The wood packaging material must be marked in a visible location on each article, preferably on at least two opposite sides of the article, with a legible and permanent mark that indicates that the article meets the requirements of this paragraph. The mark must be approved by the International Plant Protection Convention in its International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures to certify that wood packaging material has been subjected to an approved measure, and must include a unique graphic symbol, the ISO two-letter country code for the country that produced the wood packaging material, a unique number assigned by the national plant protection agency of that country to the producer of the wood packaging material, and an abbreviation disclosing the type of treatment (e.g., HT for heat treatment or MB for methyl bromide fumigation). The currently approved format for the mark is as follows, where XX would be replaced by the country code, 000 by the producer number, and YY by the treatment type (HT or MB):
(3) Immediate reexport of regulated wood packaging material without required mark. An inspector at the port of first arrival may order the immediate reexport of regulated wood packaging material that is imported without the mark required by paragraph (b)(2) of this section, in addition to or in lieu of any port of first arrival procedures required by § 319.40-9 of this part.
(4) Exception for Department of Defense. Regulated wood packaging material used by the Department of Defense (DOD) of the U.S. Government to package nonregulated articles, including commercial shipments pursuant to a DOD contract, may be imported into the United States without the mark required by paragraph (b)(2) of this section.
(c) Loose wood packing materials. APHIS hereby issues a general permit to import regulated articles authorized by this paragraph. Loose wood packing materials (whether in use as packing or imported as cargo) that are dry may be imported subject to the inspection and other requirements in § 319.40-9 and without further restriction under this subpart.
(d) Bamboo timber. APHIS hereby issues a general permit to import regulated articles authorized by this paragraph. Bamboo timber which is free of leaves and seeds and has been sawn or split lengthwise and dried may be imported subject to the inspection and other requirements in § 319.40-9 and without further restriction under this subpart.
(e) Regulated articles the permit process has determined to present no plant pest risk. Regulated articles for which a specific permit has been issued in accordance with § 319.40-4(b)(2)(i) may be imported without other restriction under this subpart, except that they are subject to the inspection and other requirements in § 319.40-9.