Charge Complaint Procedures

What it does

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC or Commission) is issuing this rule to bring awareness that as an alternative to following the Commission's Interim Procedure for Charge Complaints, Charge Complaints may be filed with the Commission following traditional complaint processes involving either an Administrative Law Judge or Small Claims Officer. In accordance with the statute, when a person files a Charge Complaint as a traditional complaint, the Administrative Law Judge or Small Claims Officer must treat the complaint as such, including by requiring the common carrier to bear the burden of establishing the reasonableness of any demurrage or detention charges pursuant to the Commission's Interpretive Rule on Unjust and Unreasonable Practices With Respect to Demurrage and Detention.

The Federal Maritime Commission's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What changed in the regulation

1 part of Title 46 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

46 CFR 502

Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).

Compared with

The Federal Maritime Commission has published 2 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 3 in all of 2025.

Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.

Before this

No earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 3072-AD00 since Jan. 1, 2025.

What happens next and when

This rule is effective September 1, 2026.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Docket FMC-2026-0331 on Regulations.gov
• Title 46 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register