Customs Enforcement Area

Summary of Customs Enforcement Area

An area not to extend more than fifty miles seaward, beyond the CUSTOMS WATERS (read this and related legal terms for further details). Within this zone customs officers are authorized to enforce U.S. laws if the president finds that vessels are hovering offshore for the purpose of violating U.S. laws governing the importation or exportation of goods.

(Main Author: William J. Miller)