Foreign Soil Not Treated at the Port of Entry
Soil which cannot be treated at the port of entry may be authorized for movement to a facility inspected by APHIS-PPQ in advance and authorized under a permit issued by PPQ. Specific safeguard provisions are described in the permit and also in a compliance agreement with the facility.
Untreated soil cannot, under any circumstances, be authorized for importation unless the shipment is going to an APHIS-PPQ inspected facility under a valid permit. Neither the port nor the Permit Unit is able to provide one-time or provisional authorizations. A permit is mandatory.
For legal reasons, permits for movement to inspected facilities cannot be issued to agents, third parties, or others who cannot be directly responsible for the soil. The permittee must be the person directly responsible for the facility inspected to receive the soil.
The responsibilities and liabilities associated with the permit cannot be transferred to another person or facility unless the soil is transferred to another permit holder or re-exported in accordance with specific PPQ instructions. In either case, the original permittee must maintain clear records which describe the disposition of each shipment or portion of a shipment which has been transferred or exported.