Overview

The Lacey Act is administered by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States (U.S.) Department of Agriculture, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Under the Lacey Act, importers are required to provide a Lacey Act declaration for certain plants, including plant products, in order for these commodities to be imported into the U.S. This required information is collected and used by APHIS to prevent the illegal harvesting and trading of these commodities.  

The requirement for a Lacey Act Declaration has followed a phased implementation since 2009, according to a schedule created by APHIS. There are currently five Phases in the Lacey Act and additional products have been added to the list of commodities that require a Lacey Act declaration for importing into the U.S. in each of these phases.

APHIS continually monitors and evaluates the information collected to determine which products to include in future Lacey Act phases and publishes notices through the U.S. Federal Register for importers and all stakeholders to keep informed.

For a complete list of current products that require a Lacey Act import declaration and to assist importers in determining if their products are included, what information is required, and how to complete and file a declaration, please see the APHIS Lacey Act Declaration Guide.
 

What’s New? Phase 6

Beginning October 1, 2021, Phase 6 of the Lacey Act will come into force and the following products will require a Lacey Act Declaration to accompany the shipment when being imported into the U.S.:

U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (USHTS) codes with corresponding commodity descriptions

3301.29.5109 - Essential oils of cedarwood

3301.29.5121 - Essential oils of linaloe or bois de rose

3301.29.5139 - Essential oils of sandalwood

4202.29.2000 - Trunks, cases and suitcases of wood

4202.99.2000 - Other, of wood, not lined

4202.99.3000 - Other, of wood, lined

4410.12 - Oriented strand board (OSB)

4415 - Cases, boxes, crates, drums, containers, pallets, box-pallets, etc.

Please note: Only applies to new pallets under this heading. Used, recycled, reclaimed, or empty/under load pallets that are used to carry goods imported into the U.S. will not require a declaration

9205.90.2000 - Wind musical instruments: bagpipes

9205.90.4020 - Clarinets

9205.90.4080 - Other (woodwind instruments)

9205.90.4060 - Flutes and piccolos

9206.00.2000 - Drums

9207.90.0040 - Musical instruments (fretted string instruments)

Please note: Importations of musical instruments valued less than US$2500 will not require a declaration, however, are still subject to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) requirements. For more information on CITES, please visit our CITES page.

9209.92 - Parts and accessories for musical instruments of heading 9202

9209.99.2000 - Parts and accessories for bagpipes

9209.99.4040 - Parts and accessories for other woodwind instruments

9209.99.8000 - Other

9620.00.5500 - Monopods, bipods, tripods and similar articles of wood
 

Additional Information

July 2, 2021 Federal Register Notice of Implementation of Revised Lacey Act Provisions