{"data":{"id":"us/49-cfr-1500.3","jurisdiction":"us","citation":"49 CFR 1500.3","heading":"Terms and abbreviations used in this chapter.","body":"As used in this chapter:\nAdministrator means the Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration (Assistant Secretary), who is the highest-ranking TSA official, or his or her designee. Administrator also means the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security identified in 49 U.S.C. 114(b).\nAlien means “alien” as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(3).\nAuthorized representative means any individual who is not a direct employee of a person regulated under this title, but is authorized to act on that person's behalf to perform measures required under the Transportation Security Regulations, or a TSA security program. For purposes of this subchapter, the term “authorized representative” includes agents, contractors, and subcontractors, and employees of the same.\nBus means any of several types of motor vehicles used by public or private entities to provide transportation service for passengers.\nBus transit system means a public transportation system providing frequent transportation service (not limited to morning and evening peak travel times) for the primary purpose of moving passengers between bus stops, often through multiple connections (a bus transit system does not become a commuter bus system even if its primary purpose is the transportation of commuters). This term does not include tourist, scenic, historic, or excursion operations.\nCitizen of the United States or U.S. Citizen means any person who is a United States citizen by law, birth, or naturalization as described in 8 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.\nCommuter bus system means a system providing passenger service primarily during morning and evening peak periods, between an urban area and more distant outlying communities in a greater metropolitan area. This term does not include tourist, scenic, historic, or excursion operations.\nCommuter passenger train service means “train, commuter” as defined in 49 CFR 238.5, and includes service provided by diesel or electric powered locomotives and railroad passenger cars to serve an urban area, its suburbs, and more distant outlying communities in the greater metropolitan area. A commuter passenger train service is part of the general railroad system of transportation regardless of whether it is physically connected to other railroads.\nDay means calendar day, unless called “business day,” which refers to Monday through Friday, excluding days when the U.S. Government is closed.\nDHS means the Department of Homeland Security and any directorate, bureau, or other component within the Department of Homeland Security, including the United States Coast Guard.\nDOT means the Department of Transportation and any operating administration, entity, or office within the Department of Transportation.\nFixed-route service means the provision of transportation service by private entities operated along a prescribed route according to a fixed schedule.\nGeneral railroad system of transportation means “the network of standard gauge track over which goods may be transported throughout the nation and passengers may travel between cities and within metropolitan and suburban areas” as defined in appendix A to 49 CFR part 209.\nHazardous material means “hazardous material” as defined in 49 CFR 171.8.\nHeavy rail transit means service provided by self-propelled electric railcars, typically drawing power from a third rail, operating in separate rights-of-way in multiple cars; also referred to as subways, metros or regional rail.\nHost railroad means a railroad that has effective control over a segment of track.\nImprovised explosive device (IED) means a device fabricated in an improvised manner that incorporates explosives or destructive, lethal, noxious, pyrotechnic, or incendiary chemicals in its design, and generally includes a power supply, a switch or timer, and a detonator or initiator.\nIntercity passenger train service means both “train, long-distance intercity passenger” and “train, short-distance intercity passenger” as defined in 49 CFR 238.5.\nLawful permanent resident means a person “lawfully admitted for permanent residence” as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20).\nLight rail transit means service provided by self-propelled electric railcars, typically drawing power from an overhead wire, operating in either exclusive or non-exclusive rights-of-way in single or multiple cars, with shorter distance trips, and frequent stops; also referred to as streetcars, trolleys, and trams.\nMotor vehicle means a vehicle, machine, tractor, trailer, or semitrailer propelled or drawn by mechanical power and used upon the highways in the transportation of passengers or property, or any combination thereof, but does not include any vehicle, locomotive, or car operated exclusively on a rail or rails, or a trolley bus operated by electric power derived from a fixed overhead wire, furnishing local passenger transportation similar to street-railway service.\nNational of the United States or U.S. national means:\n(1) A citizen of the United States; or\n(2) A person who, though not a citizen of the United States, owes permanent allegiance to the United States, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(22).\nOver-the-Road Bus (OTRB) means a bus characterized by an elevated passenger deck located over a baggage compartment.\nOwner/operator means any person that owns, or maintains operational control over, any transportation infrastructure asset, facility, or system regulated under this title, including airport operator, aircraft operator, foreign air carrier, indirect air carrier, certified cargo screening facility, flight school within the meaning of 49 CFR 1552.1(b), motor vehicle, public transportation agency, or railroad carrier. For purposes of a maritime facility or a vessel, owner/operator has the same meaning as defined in 33 CFR 101.105.\nPassenger rail car means rail rolling equipment intended to provide transportation for members of the general public and includes a self-propelled rail car designed to carry passengers, baggage, mail, or express. This term includes a rail passenger coach, cab car, and a Multiple Unit (MU) locomotive. In the context of articulated equipment, “passenger rail car” means that segment of the rail rolling equipment located between two trucks. This term does not include a private rail car.\nPassenger railroad carrier means a railroad carrier that provides transportation to persons (other than employees, contractors, or persons riding equipment to observe or monitor railroad operations) by railroad in intercity passenger service or commuter or other short-haul passenger service in a metropolitan or suburban area.\nPassenger train means a train that transports or is available to transport members of the general public.\nPerson means an individual, corporation, company, association, firm, partnership, society, joint-stock company, or governmental authority. It includes a trustee, receiver, assignee, successor, or similar representative of any of them.\nPrivate rail car means rail rolling equipment that is used only for excursion, recreational, or private transportation purposes. A private rail car is not a passenger rail car.\nPublic transportation means transportation provided to the general public by a regular and continuing general or specific transportation vehicle that is owned or operated by a public transportation agency, including providing one or more of the following types of passenger transportation:\n(1) Intercity or commuter passenger train service or other short-haul railroad passenger service in a metropolitan or suburban area (as described by 49 U.S.C. 20102(1)).\n(2) Heavy or light rail transit service, whether on or off the general railroad system of transportation.\n(3) An automated guideway, cable car, inclined plane, funicular, or monorail system.\n(4) Bus transit or commuter bus service.\nPublic transportation agency means any publicly-owned or operated provider of regular and continuing public transportation.\nRail hazardous materials receiver means any owner/operator of a fixed-site facility that has a physical connection to the general railroad system of transportation and receives or unloads from transportation in commerce by rail one or more of the categories and quantities of rail security-sensitive materials identified in 49 CFR 1580.3, but does not include the owner/operator of a facility owned or operated by a department, agency or instrumentality of the Federal Government.\nRail hazardous materials shipper means the owner/operator of any fixed-site facility that has a physical connection to the general railroad system of transportation and offers (as defined in the definition of “person who offers or offeror” in 49 CFR 171.8), prepares or loads for transportation by rail one or more of the categories and quantities of rail security-sensitive materials as identified in 49 CFR 1580.3, but does not include the owner/operator of a facility owned or operated by a department, agency or instrumentality of the Federal Government.\nRail secure area means a secure location(s) identified by a rail hazardous materials shipper or rail hazardous materials receiver where security-related pre-transportation or transportation functions are performed or rail cars containing the categories and quantities of rail security-sensitive materials are prepared, loaded, stored, and/or unloaded.\nRail transit facility means rail transit stations, terminals, and locations at which rail transit infrastructure assets are stored, command and control operations are performed, or maintenance is performed. The term also includes rail yards, crew management centers, dispatching centers, transportation terminals and stations, fueling centers, and telecommunication centers.\nRail transit system or “Rail Fixed Guideway System” means any light, heavy, or rapid rail system, monorail, inclined plane, funicular, cable car, trolley, or automated guideway that traditionally does not operate on track that is part of the general railroad system of transportation.\nRailroad carrier means an owner/operator providing railroad transportation.\nRailroad transportation means:\n(1) Any form of non-highway ground transportation that runs on rails or electromagnetic guideways, including:\n(i) Commuter or other short-haul rail passenger service in a metropolitan or suburban area; and\n(ii) High speed ground transportation systems that connect metropolitan areas, without regard to whether these systems use new technologies not associated with traditional railroads.\n(2) Such term includes rail transit service operating on track that is part of the general railroad system of transportation but does not include rapid transit operations in an urban area that are not connected to the general railroad system of transportation.\nRecord includes any means by which information is preserved, irrespective of format, including a book, paper, drawing, map, recording, tape, film, photograph, machine-readable material, and any information stored in an electronic format. The term record also includes any draft, proposed, or recommended change to any record.\nSensitive security information (SSI) means information that is described in and must be managed in accordance with 49 CFR part 1520.\nState means a State of the United States and the District of Columbia.\nTourist, scenic, historic, or excursion operation means a railroad or bus operation that carries passengers, often using antiquated equipment, with the conveyance of the passengers to a particular destination not being the principal purpose. Train or bus movements of new passenger equipment for demonstration purposes are not tourist, scenic, historic, or excursion operations.\nTransit means mass transportation by a conveyance that provides regular and continuing general or special transportation to the public, but does not include school bus, charter, or sightseeing transportation. Rail transit may occur on or off the general railroad system of transportation.\nTransportation or transport means the movement of property including loading, unloading, and storage. Transportation or transport also includes the movement of people, boarding, and disembarking incident to that movement.\nTransportation facility means a location at which transportation cargo, equipment or infrastructure assets are stored, equipment is transferred between conveyances and/or modes of transportation, transportation command and control operations are performed, or maintenance operations are performed. The term also includes, but is not limited to, passenger stations and terminals (including any fixed facility at which passengers are picked-up or discharged), vehicle storage buildings or yards, crew management centers, dispatching centers, fueling centers, and telecommunication centers.\nTransportation security equipment and systems means items, both integrated into a system and stand-alone, used by owner/operators to enhance capabilities to detect, deter, prevent, or respond to a threat or incident, including, but not limited to, video surveillance, explosives detection, radiological detection, intrusion detection, motion detection, and security screening.\nTransportation Security Regulations (TSR) means the regulations issued by the Transportation Security Administration, in title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations, chapter XII, which includes parts 1500 through 1699.\nTransportation Security-Sensitive Material (TSSM) means hazardous materials identified in 49 CFR 172.800(b).\nTSA means the Transportation Security Administration.\nUnited States, in a geographical sense, means the States of the United States, the District of Columbia, and territories and possessions of the United States, including the territorial sea and the overlying airspace.\nVulnerability assessment includes any review, audit, or other examination of the security of a transportation system, infrastructure asset, or a transportation-related automated system or network to determine its vulnerability to unlawful interference, whether during the conception, planning, design, construction, operation, or decommissioning phase. A vulnerability assessment includes the methodology for the assessment, the results of the assessment, and any proposed, recommended, or directed actions or countermeasures to address security concerns.","path":["Title 49—Transportation","Subtitle B—Other Regulations Relating to Transportation","CHAPTER XII—TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY","SUBCHAPTER A—ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROCEDURAL RULES","PART 1500—APPLICABILITY, TERMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS"],"source_url":"https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2026-08-25/title-49.xml","current_through":"2026-08-25","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T02:26:34Z","sha256":"b65b507712b896d04c1f3c9fd8c063ede9b2d517c7bdaa802780e3c0b60ed917","source_id":"us-cfr","stale":true,"prev":"us/49-cfr-1500.1","next":"us/49-cfr-1500.5"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}