---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 267"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "267"
heading: "Quarantine stations, grounds, and anchorages"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/267"
units:
  - "Chapter 6A — Public Health Service"
  - "Subchapter II — General Powers and Duties"
  - "Part G — Quarantine and Inspection"
---

# §267. Quarantine stations, grounds, and anchorages

- (a) **Control and management—** Except as provided in title II[^1] of the Act of June 15, 1917, as amended, the [Surgeon General](/usc/42/201.md?p=b) shall control, direct, and manage all United States quarantine stations, grounds, and anchorages, designate their boundaries, and designate the quarantine officers to be in charge thereof. With the approval of the President he shall from time to time select suitable sites for and establish such additional stations, grounds, and anchorages in the [States](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) and [possessions](/usc/42/201.md?p=g) of the United States as in his judgment are necessary to prevent the introduction of communicable diseases into the [States](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) and [possessions](/usc/42/201.md?p=g) of the United States.
- (b) **Hours of inspection—** The [Surgeon General](/usc/42/201.md?p=b) shall establish the hours during which quarantine [service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) shall be performed at each quarantine station, and, upon application by any interested party, may establish quarantine inspection during the twenty-four hours of the day, or any fraction thereof, at such quarantine stations as, in his opinion, require such extended [service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a). He may restrict the performance of quarantine inspection to hours of daylight for such arriving [vessels](/usc/42/201.md?p=i) as cannot, in his opinion, be satisfactorily inspected during hours of darkness. No [vessel](/usc/42/201.md?p=i) shall be required to undergo quarantine inspection during the hours of darkness, unless the quarantine officer at such quarantine station shall deem an immediate inspection necessary to protect the public health. Uniformity shall not be required in the hours during which quarantine inspection may be obtained at the various ports of the United States.
- (c) **Overtime pay for employees of Service—** The [Surgeon General](/usc/42/201.md?p=b) shall fix a reasonable rate of extra compensation for overtime [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) of [employees](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) of the United States Public Health [Service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a), Foreign Quarantine Division, performing overtime duties including the operation of [vessels](/usc/42/201.md?p=i), in connection with the inspection or quarantine [treatment](/usc/42/11851.md?p=11) of persons (passengers and crews), conveyances, or goods arriving by land, water, or air in the United States or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof, hereinafter referred to as “[employees](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) of the Public Health [Service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a)”, when required to be on duty between the hours of 6 o’clock postmeridian and 6 o’clock antemeridian (or between the hours of 7 o’clock postmeridian and 7 o’clock antemeridian at stations which have a declared workday of from 7 o’clock antemeridian to 7 o’clock postmeridian), or on Sundays or holidays, such rate, in lieu of compensation under any other provision of law, to be fixed at two times the basic hourly rate for each hour that the overtime extends beyond 6 o’clock (or 7 o’clock as the case may be) postmeridian, and two times the basic hourly rate for each overtime hour worked on Sundays or holidays. As used in this subsection, the term “basic hourly rate” shall mean the regular basic rate of pay which is applicable to such [employees](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) for work performed within their regular scheduled tour of duty.
- (d) **Payment of extra compensation to United States; bond or deposit to assure payment; deposit of moneys to credit of appropriation—**
  - (1) The said extra compensation shall be paid to the United States by the [owner](/usc/42/13641.md?p=4), agent, consignee, operator, or master or other person in charge of any conveyance, for whom, at his request, [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) as described in this subsection (hereinafter referred to as overtime [service](/usc/42/201.md?p=a)) are performed. If such [employees](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) have been ordered to report for duty and have so reported, and the requested [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) are not performed by reason of circumstances beyond the control of the [employees](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) concerned, such extra compensation shall be paid on the same basis as though the overtime [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) had actually been performed during the period between the time the [employees](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) were ordered to report for duty and did so report, and the time they were notified that their [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) would not be required, and in any case as though their [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) had continued for not less than one hour. The [Surgeon General](/usc/42/201.md?p=b) with the approval of the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) of Health and Human [Services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) may prescribe [regulations](/usc/42/201.md?p=d) requiring the [owner](/usc/42/13641.md?p=4), agent, consignee, operator, or master or other person for whom the overtime [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) are performed to file a bond in such amounts and containing such conditions and with such sureties, or in lieu of a bond, to deposit money or obligations of the United States in such amount, as will assure the payment of charges under this subsection, which bond or deposit may cover one or more transactions or all transactions during a specified period: Provided, That no charges shall be made for [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) performed in connection with the inspection of (1) persons arriving by international highways, ferries, bridges, or tunnels, or the conveyances in which they arrive, or (2) persons arriving by aircraft or railroad trains, the operations of which are covered by published schedules, or the aircraft or trains in which they arrive, or (3) persons arriving by [vessels](/usc/42/201.md?p=i) operated between Canadian ports and ports on Puget Sound or operated on the Great Lakes and connecting waterways, the operations of which are covered by published schedules, or the [vessels](/usc/42/201.md?p=i) in which they arrive.
  - (2) Moneys collected under this subsection shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the appropriation charged with the expense of the [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a), and the appropriations so credited shall be available for the payment of such compensation to the said [employees](/usc/42/300gg–91.md?p=d-5) for [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a) so rendered.

## Footnotes

[^1]: See References in Text note below.

## Source credit

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title III, § 364, 58 Stat. 704; Pub. L. 85–58, ch. VII, § 701, June 21, 1957, 71 Stat. 181; Pub. L. 85–580, title II, § 201, Aug. 1, 1958, 72 Stat. 467; Pub. L. 96–88, title V, § 509(b), Oct. 17, 1979, 93 Stat. 695.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

Title II of the Act of June 15, 1917, referred to in subsec. (a), is act June 15, 1917, ch. 30, title II, 40 Stat. 220, which was formerly classified to sections 191, 192, 193 and 194 of Title 50, War and National Defense. Sections 191, 192, and 194 of Title 50 were redesignated and transferred to sections 70051 to 70053, respectively, of Title 46, Shipping, by Pub. L. 115–282, title IV, § 407(b)(1), (5), (c)(1), (3), (d)(1), (3), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4267. Section 193 of Title 50 was repealed by act June 25, 1948, ch. 645, § 21, 62 Stat. 862.

### Amendments

1958—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 85–580 increased rate of pay for each hour that overtime extends beyond 6 o’clock (or 7 o’clock as the case may be) postmeridian from one and one-half times the basic hourly rate to two times the basic hourly rate.

1957—Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 85–58 added subsecs. (c) and (d).

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Change of Name

“Secretary of Health and Human Services” substituted for “Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare” in subsec. (d) pursuant to section 509(b) of Pub. L. 96–88, which is classified to section 3508(b) of Title 20, Education.

### Executive Documents

### Transfer of Functions

Functions of Public Health Service, Surgeon General of Public Health Service, and all other officers and employees of Public Health Service, and functions of all agencies of or in Public Health Service transferred to Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare by Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1966, eff. June 25, 1966, 31 F.R. 8855, 80 Stat. 1610, set out as a note under section 202 of this title.

### Delegation of Functions

Functions of President delegated to Secretary of Health Health and Human Services, see Ex. Ord. No. 11140, Jan. 30, 1964, 29 F.R. 1637, as amended, set out as a note under section 202 of this title.

For assignment of functions of President under subsec. (a) of this section, see section 3 of Ex. Ord. No. 13295, Apr. 4, 2003, 68 F.R. 17255, set out as a note under section 264 of this title.