Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA)

Manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers must report to CPSC within 24 hours of obtaining information that reasonably supports a conclusion that a product has a defect that could create a substantial hazard, violates a safety rule, or creates an unreasonable risk of serious injury or death. Products subject to rules need certificates of conformity. CPSC can order recalls and seek civil penalties, set by statute at 100,000 dollars per violation and 15 million dollars for a related series, adjusted upward for inflation.

The CPSA's reporting duty reaches distributors and retailers, so e-commerce sellers and fulfillment operators that learn of dangerous incidents can be legally required to report. Late reporting is one of CPSC's most common grounds for multimillion-dollar civil penalties. For example, an online retailer that sees repeated customer reports of a space heater overheating must assess and report to CPSC quickly, and its 3PL should be able to quarantine and pull remaining stock by lot once a recall is announced.

• Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA)2008 · 2008 law on children's product testing and certificates
• CPSC eFiling2025, effective July 2026 · Mandatory electronic filing of safety certificates
• Reese's Law2022, standard effective 2024 · US safety rules for button and coin cell batteries

1. 15 U.S.C. Chapter 47 (Cornell LII) law.cornell.edu
2. CPSC: Product Safety Planning, Reporting, and Recall Handbook cpsc.gov