FCC ID evidence for your product listings.

What changed in 2026?

The final rule took effect October 13, 2026. Its later display compliance dates give platforms time to prepare. Listing regulated equipment alongside fulfillment, warehousing, billing, or other specified services falls within the marketing rules. The display requirement concerns devices subject to certification. Published final rule, 91 FR 57798.

Build separate checks for whether an FCC ID exists and whether it belongs to the item offered. A plausible string, similar model name, barcode association, or unrelated grant cannot establish both. The FCC discusses automated screening, EAS access, and marketplace verification in paragraphs 59–75 of FCC 26-50.

Enforcement is already active. In May 2026, the FCC reported that Operation Clean Carts had removed or blocked more than three million listings and described practices including ID checks, seller education, and rapid delisting. FCC enforcement-program update.

Determine which listings are in scope.

• Review older listings: substantive changes to descriptions, images, specifications, or seller details can end the exception for listings published before October 13, 2026. Automated price, currency, translation, layout, or ranking changes are treated differently.
• Check the exception for third-party sellers outside the INFORM high-volume definition.
• Check whether the device was previously sold to a retail customer and is marketed as used or otherwise not new.

These are display exceptions; the general restrictions on unauthorized equipment still matter. See 47 CFR 2.803(b)–(c).

The FTC describes the high-volume threshold as at least 200 transactions and $5,000 gross revenue on the platform during a continuous 12-month period in the preceding 24 months, counting qualifying marketplace-processed transactions. Check statutory definitions and exclusions for the particular seller. FTC INFORM guidance.

Some equipment follows Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC). Its compliance information identifies the product, applicable statement, and US responsible party. A missing FCC ID alone does not resolve that path. 47 CFR 2.1077.

A practical catalog review workflow.

1. Collect the seller’s evidence. Keep the SKU, EAN, exact model and variant, label or e-label image, and claimed FCC IDs. Record listing history and the seller’s accuracy certification separately.
2. Find candidates. Call /lookup?ean=… to find FCC IDs, or supply brand/model/MPN from your catalog or another product source. EAN responses contain FCC candidates with relevant source clues. Review the evidence chain, OCR corrections, and competing variants.
3. Check each exact ID. Call /validate?fccid=…. Save the response, request ID, timestamp, and source references with your review. Its screening object identifies unresolved checks.
4. Resolve exceptions and restrictions. Compare labels, product documents, and current FCC EAS records. Determine listing scope and check current grants, restrictions, modules, and Covered List issues as applicable.
5. Publish the reviewed identifier. Display the correct ID where required, preserve seller evidence, and recheck when the product, seller, or substantive listing content changes.

curl 'https://api.fccid.io/validate?fccid=A4RH2G2-42' \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FCCID_API_KEY"

Example response excerpt; unresolved checks are deliberate:

{
  "valid": true,
  "screening": {
    "marketing_eligibility": "undetermined",
    "review_required": true,
    "checks": {
      "fcc_id_record": { "status": "confirmed" },
      "product_association": { "status": "not_verified" },
      "fcc_eas_live_check": { "status": "not_performed" },
      "covered_equipment": { "status": "not_assessed" }
    }
  }
}

/frequency adds supported grant ranges and provenance for technical review. /brand helps identify grantees and recent filings. All four endpoints use the same account allowance; a lookup followed by validation consumes two queries. One device may need multiple ID checks.

Read the screening contract · OpenAPI · Run the public example

Other recent requirements need separate evidence.

Our API attaches published warnings only through supported FCC ID or exact-product relationships. Empty news or warning arrays mean none were found in the covered sources. Current Covered List clearance, manufacturing origin, component lineage, and compliance with a conditional approval are not determined by this API.

Keep proposals out of your mandatory checklist.

The accompanying Third Further Notice seeks comment on SDoC registration, HBOM/SBOM submissions, authorization term limits, and a US liable-party regime for certified equipment. This guide does not treat those proposals as adopted requirements. Existing US-agent and SDoC responsible-party duties are separate. August 7 proposed rules, 91 FR 51139.

What the API can establish.

valid=true confirms an exact FCC-sourced record held by FCCID.io. valid=false means malformed syntax; valid=null means plausible but unconfirmed. Neither unknown case proves unlawful marketing. A historical grant is reported separately from current authorization status.

FCCID.io is an independent source service. We do not perform a live EAS check in each response or certify a marketplace’s reasonable-steps process. Use the official FCC EAS search for current verification. Product labeling, module/host conditions, testing, and supplier attestations require their own review. FCC identification requirements.

This is a dated implementation guide and evidence service; the responsible business determines its obligations with appropriate regulatory advice.