---
kind: "section"
citation: "10 U.S.C. § 742"
title: "10"
title_heading: "Armed Forces"
number: "742"
heading: "Rank: warrant officers"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/10/742"
units:
  - "Subtitle A — General Military Law"
  - "Part II — Personnel"
  - "Chapter 43 — Rank and Command"
---

# §742. Rank: warrant officers

- (a) Among [warrant officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) [grades](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7), [warrant officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) [grades](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) of a higher numerical designation are senior to [warrant officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) [grades](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) of a lower numerical designation.
- (b) [Rank](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-8) among [warrant officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) of the same [grade](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7), and date of [rank](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-8) of [warrant officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3), is determined in the same manner as prescribed in [section 741 of this title](/usc/10/741.md) for [officers](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-1) in [grades](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7) above [warrant officer](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-3) [grades](/usc/10/101.md?p=b-7).

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 102–190, div. A, title XI, § 1114(a), Dec. 5, 1991, 105 Stat. 1502.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 742, act Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 34, related to rank of regular officers and reserve officers, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 85–861, § 36B(4), Sept. 2, 1958, 72 Stat. 1570.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section effective Feb. 1, 1992, see section 1132 of Pub. L. 102–190, set out as an Effective Date of 1991 Amendment note under section 521 of this title.