Terms defined in the Acts are used as so defined. As used in this part:

Act means a statute listed in §16.1 and any regulation, agreement, or document of conveyance issued or made under that statute.

Administrator means the Administrator of the FAA.

Agency means the FAA.

Agency attorney means the Deputy Chief Counsel; the Assistant Chief Counsel and attorneys in the Airports/Environmental Law Division of the Office of the Chief Counsel; the Assistant Chief Counsel and attorneys in an FAA region or center who represent the FAA during the investigation of a complaint or at a hearing on a complaint, and who prosecute on behalf of the FAA, as appropriate. An agency attorney shall not include the Chief Counsel; the Assistant Chief Counsel for Litigation, or any attorney on the staff of the Assistant Chief Counsel for Litigation, who advises the Associate Administrator regarding an initial decision of the hearing officer or any appeal to the Associate Administrator or who is supervised in that action by a person who provides such advice in an action covered by this part.

Agency employee means any employee of the FAA.

Associate Administrator means the FAA Associate Administrator for Airports or a designee. For the purposes of this part only, Associate Administrator also means the Assistant Administrator for Civil Rights or a designee for complaints that the FAA Associate Administrator for Airports transfers to the Assistant Administrator for Civil Rights.

Complainant means the person submitting a complaint.

Complaint means a written document meeting the requirements of this part and filed under this part:

(1) By a person directly and substantially affected by anything allegedly done or omitted to be done by any person in contravention of any provision of any Act, as defined in this section, as to matters within the jurisdiction of the Administrator, or

(2) By a person under 49 CFR 26.105(c) against a recipient of FAA funds alleged to have violated a provision of 49 CFR parts 23 and/or 26.

Decisional employee means the Administrator, Deputy Administrator, Associate Administrator, Director, hearing officer, or other FAA employee who is or who may reasonably be expected to be involved in the decisional process of the proceeding.

Director means the Director of the FAA Office of Airport Compliance and Management Analysis, or a designee. For the purposes of this part only, Director also means the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Civil Rights for complaints that the Director of the FAA Office of Airport Compliance and Management Analysis transfers to the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Civil Rights or designee.

Electronic filing means the process of sending electronic mail (email) to the FAA Part 16 Docket Clerk, with scanned documents attached, as a Portable Document Format (PDF) file.

Ex parte communication means an oral or written communication not on the public record with respect to which reasonable prior notice to all parties is not given, but it shall not include requests for status reports on any matter or proceeding covered by this part, or communications between FAA employees who participate as parties to a hearing pursuant to 16.203(b) of this part and other parties to a hearing.

Hearing officer means an attorney designated by the Deputy Chief Counsel in a hearing order to serve as a hearing officer in a hearing under this part. The following are not designated as hearing officers: the Chief Counsel and Deputy Chief Counsel; the Regional or Center Counsel and attorneys in the FAA region or center in which the noncompliance has allegedly occurred or is occurring; the Assistant Chief Counsel and attorneys in the Airports and Environmental Law Division of the FAA Office of the Chief Counsel; and the Assistant Chief Counsel and attorneys in the Litigation Division of the FAA Office of Chief Counsel.

Initial decision means a decision made by the hearing officer in a hearing under subpart F of this part.

Mail means U.S. first class mail; U.S. certified mail; and U.S. express mail. Unless otherwise noted, mail also means electronic mail containing PDF copies of pleadings or documents required herein.

Noncompliance means anything done or omitted to be done by any person in contravention of any provision of any Act, as defined in this section, as to matters within the jurisdiction of the Administrator.

Party means the complainant(s) and the respondent(s) named in the complaint and, after an initial determination providing an opportunity for hearing is issued under §16.31 and subpart E of this part, the agency.

Person in addition to its meaning under 49 U.S.C. 40102(a)(33), includes a public agency as defined in 49 U.S.C. 47102(a)(15).

Personal delivery means same-day hand delivery or overnight express delivery service.

Respondent means any person named in a complaint as a person responsible for noncompliance.

Sponsor means:

(1) Any public agency which, either individually or jointly with one or more other public agencies, has received Federal financial assistance for airport development or planning under the Federal Airport Act, Airport and Airway Development Act or Airport and Airway Improvement Act;

(2) Any private owner of a public-use airport that has received financial assistance from the FAA for such airport; and

(3) Any person to whom the Federal Government has conveyed property for airport purposes under section 13(g) of the Surplus Property Act of 1944, as amended.

Writing or written includes paper documents that are filed and/or served by mail, personal delivery, facsimile, or email (as attached PDF files).

[Doc. No. 27783, 61 FR 54004, Oct. 16, 1996, as amended at Amdt. 16-1, 78 FR 56141, Sept. 12, 2013]