---
kind: "section"
citation: "49 U.S.C. § 44727"
title: "49"
title_heading: "Transportation"
number: "44727"
heading: "Runway safety areas"
release: "119-102"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/49/44727"
units:
  - "Subtitle VII — Aviation Programs"
  - "Part A — Air Commerce and Safety"
  - "Subpart iii — safety"
  - "Chapter 447 — Safety Regulation"
---

# §44727. Runway safety areas

- (a) **Airports in Alaska.—** An [airport](/usc/49/40102.md?p=a-9) owner or [operator](/usc/49/30501.md?p=6) in the [State](/usc/49/31132.md?p=8) of Alaska shall not be required to reduce the length of a runway or declare the length of a runway to be less than the actual pavement length in order to meet standards of the Federal Aviation Administration applicable to runway safety areas.
- (b) **Study.—**
  - (1) **In general.—** The Secretary shall conduct a study of runways at [airports](/usc/49/40102.md?p=a-9) in [States](/usc/49/31132.md?p=8) other than Alaska to determine which [airports](/usc/49/40102.md?p=a-9) are affected by standards of the Federal Aviation Administration applicable to runway safety areas and to assess how operations at those [airports](/usc/49/40102.md?p=a-9) would be affected if the owner or [operator](/usc/49/30501.md?p=6) of the [airport](/usc/49/40102.md?p=a-9) is required to reduce the length of a runway or declare the length of a runway to be less than the actual pavement length in order to meet such standards.
  - (2) **Report.—** Not later than 9 months after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and [Transportation](/usc/49/13907.md?p=e-2) of the Senate and the Committee on [Transportation](/usc/49/13907.md?p=e-2) and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report containing the results of the study.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 108–176, title V, § 502(a), Dec. 12, 2003, 117 Stat. 2557.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

The date of enactment of this section, referred to in subsec. (b)(2), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 108–176, which was approved Dec. 12, 2003.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section applicable only to fiscal years beginning after Sept. 30, 2003, except as otherwise specifically provided, see section 3 of Pub. L. 108–176, set out as an Effective Date of 2003 Amendment note under section 106 of this title.