# Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA) — Federal Whistleblower Protection Filing Deadlines by Statute

For Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA), usc citation is 49 U.S.C. § 20109; filing deadline days is 180; covered industry is Railroad; enforcement mechanism is Complaint filed with Secretary of Labor; governed under rules and procedures of section 42121(b) (AIR21 procedures); de novo review available in district court if no final decision within 210 days; private right of action is Yes; if the Secretary of Labor has not issued a final decision within 210 days after the filing of the complaint and if the delay is not due to the bad faith of the employee, the employee may bring an original action at law or equity for de novo review in the appropriate district court of the United States, recorded from its source on 2026-08-15.

- **statute short name:** Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA)
- **usc citation:** 49 U.S.C. § 20109
- **filing deadline days:** 180 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **covered industry:** Railroad _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **enforcement mechanism:** Complaint filed with Secretary of Labor; governed under rules and procedures of section 42121(b) (AIR21 procedures); de novo review available in district court if no final decision within 210 days
- **private right of action:** Yes; if the Secretary of Labor has not issued a final decision within 210 days after the filing of the complaint and if the delay is not due to the bad faith of the employee, the employee may bring an original action at law or equity for de novo review in the appropriate district court of the United States

## What the source says

> An action under paragraph (1) shall be commenced not later than 180 days after the date on which the alleged violation of subsection (a), (b) or (c) of this section occurs.

## Source

- https://www.whistleblowers.gov/statutes/frsa

Last verified: 2026-08-15. Review by: 2027-08-15.
Part of [Federal Whistleblower Protection Filing Deadlines by Statute](https://referencesource.org/whistleblower-filing-deadlines/).