Notice2026-18152
Notification of Fees for Seafood Inspection Services
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 4, 2026
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The NMFS Seafood Inspection Program (SIP) is notifying program participants that its fee schedule for fiscal year 2027 will remain as established on November 1, 2022.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 171 (Friday, September 4, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 171 (Friday, September 4, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56864-56865]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-18152]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[RTID 0648-XG030]
Notification of Fees for Seafood Inspection Services
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of fee schedule.
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SUMMARY: The NMFS Seafood Inspection Program (SIP) is notifying program
participants that its fee schedule for fiscal year 2027 will remain as
established on November 1, 2022.
DATES: The fee schedule applies to services rendered as of October 1,
2026, until notified otherwise.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jenny Stephenson, Office of
International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, 301-427-8307 or at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4b212e25253265383f2e3b232e253824250b25242a2a652c243d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f298979c9c8bdc818697829a979c819d9cb29c9d9393dc959d84">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NMFS operates a fee-for-service SIP under
the authorities of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended,
the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, and the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of
1970. The regulations implementing the SIP are contained in 50 CFR part
260. The SIP offers inspection, grading, and certification services,
including the use of official quality grade marks which indicate that
specific products have been federally inspected. Those wishing to
participate in the program must request the services and submit
specific compliance information. Since 1992, NMFS implemented
inspection services based on guidelines recommended by the National
Academy of Sciences, known as Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point
(HACCP).
Under the implementing regulations for the SIP, fees are reviewed
at least annually to ascertain that the hourly fees charged are
adequate to recover the costs of the services rendered. Any necessary
adjustments to fees are made in accordance with the requirements of 50
CFR 260.30. This Federal Register notice serves to inform program
participants of the fee schedule, which remains unchanged.
SIP costs used for the calculation of user fees include all
relevant direct and indirect costs to the program, and applicable
administrative overhead and surcharges. SIP fees must be set to promote
full cost recovery of the program absent other appropriations.
SIP costs include all field operations, program administrative
overhead, and management, and include expenses for labor for
inspectors, facilities, information technology infrastructure, and
other operational costs. SIP fees are set to recover those costs based
on revenue projections from expected billable service hours and the
number of certificates requests. Forecasts of demand for services use
historical data on actual billed services that are adjusted annually
for inflation, known events that might affect the predicted output of
billable services, and seasonality of when forecasted services will
take place throughout the year.
NMFS will assess its fees as outlined in this notice, which will
apply until notified otherwise. Fees will be charged to contract and
non-contract customers requesting services as listed below. The cost of
other applicable services rendered will be recovered through fee
collection using the base rate of $238 per hour.
Fees and Charges for the U.S. Department of Commerce Seafood Inspection
Program
The per hour fees and charges for fishery products inspection
services are not being revised and will remain as established on
November 1, 2022 for fiscal year 2027 and will be assessed as follows.
Any travel associated with a billable service will be an additional
charge.
[[Page 56865]]
Contract Rates
<bullet> Regular time: Services provided during any 8-hour shift.
<bullet> Overtime: Services provided outside the inspector's normal
work schedule.
<bullet> In addition to any hourly service charge, a night
differential fee equal to 10 percent of the employee's hourly salary
will be charged for each hour of service provided after 6 p.m. and
before 6 a.m. A guarantee of payment is required for all contracts
equal to 3 months of service or $10,000, whichever is greater.
Non-Contract Rates
<bullet> Regular time: Services provided within the inspector's
normal work schedule, Monday through Friday.
<bullet> Overtime: Services provided outside the inspector's normal
work schedule.
<bullet> Any services under contract in excess of the contracted
hours will be charged at the non-contract rate.
Table 1--Contract and Non-Contract Hourly Rates
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Contract Rates
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Regular................................................. $238
Overtime................................................ 357
Sundays & Holidays...................................... 476
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All Non-Contract Rates
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Regular Time............................................ 357
Overtime................................................ 536
Sundays & Holidays...................................... 714
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Certificates
All certificate requests, whether or not a product inspection was
conducted, will be billed at a set flat rate of $97 per request.
Additional information about, and applications for, Program
services and fees may be obtained from NMFS (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section).
Dated: September 2, 2026.
Alexa Cole,
Director, Office of International Affairs, Trade, and Commerce,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-18152 Filed 9-3-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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