File a Lacey Act Declaration
The Lacey Act combats illegal trafficking of wildlife, fish, and plants. It is against the law to import into the United States any illegally harvested plant or plant product, and certain products require a declaration.
Below is detailed guidance on filing a Lacey Act declaration.
Getting Started
File a Declaration
The importer of record or their agent can file the Lacey Act declaration using one of the options below.
ACE is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) system. It is the primary method for filing Lacey Act declarations.
New to ACE? Learn more about filing APHIS-required data in ACE.
Resources for Filing
- Special Use Designations: In certain circumstances, you can use a special use designation (SUD) to provide descriptions of the plant material in products that require a Lacey Act declaration when you cannot provide the scientific names (genus/species).
- Entry Type Code Lookup: Make sure you enter the correct entry type code when you file your declaration.
- Common Cultivars and Common Food Crops: Commodities derived from common cultivars (except trees) and common food crops are excluded from the requirements of the Lacey Act.
- Disclaimer Codes: You can use a disclaimer in your Lacey Act declaration for products that are excluded from the declaration requirements.
Resources for Scientific Plant Names
The following resources may be useful when looking up scientific plant names:
- USDA’s Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), Taxonomy for Plants, Advanced Query of Species taxonomic data provide the structure and nomenclature for accessions of the National Plant Germplasm System, part of USDA's National Genetic Resources Program. GRIN Taxonomy for Plants represents all families and genera of vascular plants and 51,691 species from throughout the world, especially economic plants and their relatives. It also provides information on scientific and common names, classification, distribution, references, and economic impacts.
- USDA's PLANTS Database provides standardized information about vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the United States and its Territories.
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) provides authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world. ITIS is a partnership of the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican agencies (ITIS- North America); other organizations; and taxonomic specialists.
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) is the product of a collaboration between The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, The Harvard University Herbaria, and the Australian National Herbarium. It is a database of names and associated basic bibliographical details of seed plants, ferns, and lycophytes.
- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Wood Risk Tool is a resource for industry to learn about their plant products by providing information, insights, and risk scores for tree species and countries of harvest. The tool includes species that are listed as threatened by CITES or on the IUCN Red List.
Questions?
For help complying with the Lacey Act declaration requirement:
Lacey Act Team
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Contact our trade specialists with questions about other APHIS import requirements for plants and plant products (including wood, endangered plant species, and more).