Antidumping Duty Order Continuation: Tow-Behind Lawn Groomers from China

Content

SUMMARY:

As a result of the determinations by the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the U.S. International Trade Commission
(ITC) that revocation of the antidumping duty (AD) order on tow-behind lawn groomers and certain parts thereof (lawn groomers)
from the People's Republic of China (China) would likely lead to the continuation or recurrence of dumping and material injury
to an industry in the United States, Commerce is publishing a notice of continuation of this AD order.

DATES:

Applicable March 10, 2026.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

David De Falco, Trade Agreements Policy and Negotiations, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-2178.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On August 3, 2009, Commerce published in the
Federal Register
the AD order on lawn groomers from China. (1) On July 1, 2025, the ITC instituted, (2) and Commerce initiated, (3) the third sunset review of the Order, pursuant to section 751(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). As a result of its review, Commerce determined
that revocation of the Order would likely lead to the continuation or recurrence of dumping, and therefore, notified the ITC of the magnitude of the margins
of dumping likely to prevail should the Order be revoked. (4)

On March 10, 2026, the ITC published its determination, pursuant to sections 751(c) and 752(a) of the Act, that revocation
of the Order would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury to an industry in the United States within a reasonably
foreseeable time. (5)

Scope of the Order

The scope of this Order covers certain non-motorized tow behind lawn groomers, manufactured from any material, and certain parts thereof. Lawn groomers
are defined as lawn sweepers, aerators, dethatchers, and spreaders. Unless specifically excluded, lawn groomers that are designed
to perform at least one of the functions listed above are included in the scope of this Order, even if the lawn groomer is designed to perform additional non-subject functions (e.g., mowing).

All lawn groomers are designed to incorporate a hitch, of any configuration, which allows the product to be towed behind a
vehicle. Lawn groomers that are designed to incorporate both a hitch and a push handle, of any type, are also covered by the
scope of this Order. The hitch and handle may be permanently attached or removable, and they may be attached on opposite sides or on the same side
of the lawn groomer. Lawn groomers designed to incorporate a hitch, but where the hitch is not attached to the lawn groomer,
are also included in the scope of the Order.

Lawn sweepers consist of a frame, as well as a series of brushes attached to an axle or shaft which allows the brushing component
to rotate. Lawn sweepers also include a container (which is a receptacle into which debris swept from the lawn or turf is

  deposited) supported by the frame. Aerators consist of a frame, as well as an aerating component that is attached to an axle
  or shaft which allows the aerating component to rotate. The aerating component is made up of a set of knives fixed to a plate
  (known as a “plug aerator”), a series of discs with protruding spikes (a “spike aerator”), or any other configuration, that
  are designed to create holes or cavities in a lawn or turf surface. Dethatchers consist of a frame, as well as a series of
  tines designed to remove material (*e.g.,* dead grass or leaves) or other debris from the lawn or turf. The dethatcher tines are attached to and suspended from the frame.
  Lawn spreaders consist of a frame, as well as a hopper (*i.e.,* a container of any size, shape, or material) that holds a media to be spread on the lawn or turf. The media can be distributed
  by means of a rotating spreader plate that broadcasts the media (“broadcast spreader”), a rotating agitator that allows the
  media to be released at a consistent rate (“drop spreader”), or any other configuration.

Lawn dethatchers with a net fully-assembled weight (i.e., without packing, additional weights, or accessories) of 100 pounds or less are covered by the scope of the Order. Other lawn groomers—sweepers, aerators, and spreaders—with a net fully-assembled weight (i.e., without packing, additional weights, or accessories) of 200 pounds or less are covered by the scope of the Order.

Also included in the scope of the Order are modular units, consisting of a chassis that is designed to incorporate a hitch, where the hitch may or may not be included,
which allows modules that perform sweeping, aerating, dethatching, or spreading operations to be interchanged. Modular units—when
imported with one or more lawn grooming modules—with a fully assembled net weight (i.e., without packing, additional weights, or accessories) of 200 pounds or less when including a single module, are included in
the scope of the Order. Modular unit chasses, imported without a lawn grooming module and with a fully assembled net weight (i.e., without packing, additional weights, or accessories) of 125 pounds or less, are also covered by the scope of the Order. When imported separately, modules that are designed to perform subject lawn grooming functions (i.e., sweeping, aerating, dethatching, or spreading), with a fully assembled net weight (i.e., without packing, additional weights, or accessories) of 75 pounds or less, and that are imported with or without a hitch,
are also covered by the scope.

Lawn groomers, assembled or unassembled, are covered by this Order. For purposes of this Order, “unassembled lawn groomers” consist of either (1) all parts necessary to make a fully assembled lawn groomer, or (2) any combination
of parts, constituting a less than complete, unassembled lawn groomer, with a minimum of two of the following “major components”:

(1) an assembled or unassembled brush housing designed to be used in a lawn sweeper, where a brush housing is defined as a
component housing the brush assembly, and consisting of a wrapper which covers the brush assembly and two end plates attached
to the wrapper;

(2) a sweeper brush;

(3) an aerator or dethatcher weight tray, or similar component designed to allow weights of any sort to be added to the unit;

(4) a spreader hopper;

(5) a rotating spreader plate or agitator, or other component designed for distributing media in a lawn spreader;

(6) dethatcher tines;

(7) aerator spikes, plugs, or other aerating component; or

(8) a hitch, defined as a complete hitch assembly comprising of at least the following two major hitch components, tubing
and a hitch plate regardless of the absence of minor components such as pin or fasteners. Individual hitch component parts,
such as tubing, hitch plates, pins or fasteners are not covered by the scope.

The major components or parts of lawn groomers that are individually covered by this Order under the term “certain parts thereof” are: (1) brush housings, where the wrapper and end plates incorporating the brush assembly
may be individual pieces or a single piece; and (2) weight trays, or similar components designed to allow weights of any sort
to be added to a dethatcher or an aerator unit.

The scope of this Order specifically excludes the following: (1) agricultural implements designed to work (e.g., churn, burrow, till, etc.) soil, such as cultivators, harrows, and plows; (2) lawn or farm carts and wagons that do not groom
lawns; (3) grooming products incorporating a motor or an engine for the purpose of operating and/or propelling the lawn groomer;
(4) lawn groomers that are designed to be hand held or are designed to be attached directly to the frame of a vehicle, rather
than towed; (5) “push” lawn grooming products that incorporate a push handle rather than a hitch, and which are designed solely
to be manually operated; (6) dethatchers with a net assembled weight (i.e., without packing, additional weights, or accessories) of more than 100 pounds, or lawn groomers—sweepers, aerators, and spreaders—with
a net fully-assembled weight (i.e., without packing, additional weights, or accessories) of more than 200 pounds; and (7) lawn rollers designed to flatten grass
and turf, including lawn rollers which incorporate an aerator component (e.g., “drum-style” spike aerators).

The lawn groomers that are the subject of this Order are currently classifiable in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) statistical reporting numbers 8432.41.0000,
8432.42.0000, 8432.80.0000, 8432.80.0010, 8432.90.0060, 8432.90.0081, 8479.89.9496, (6) 8479.90.9496, and 9603.50.0000. These HTSUS provisions are given for reference and customs purposes only, and the description
of merchandise is dispositive for determining the scope of the product included in this Order.

Continuation of the Order

As a result of the determinations by Commerce and the ITC that revocation of the Order would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping and material injury to an industry in the United States, pursuant
to section 751(d)(2) of the Act, Commerce hereby orders the continuation of the Order. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will continue to collect AD cash deposits at the rates in effect at the time of entry for
all imports of subject merchandise.

The effective date of the continuation of the Order will be March 10, 2026. (7) Pursuant to section 751(c)(2) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.218(c)(2), Commerce intends to initiate the next five-year reviews
of the Order not later than 30 days prior to fifth anniversary of the date of the last determination by the ITC.

Administrative Protective Order (APO)

This notice also serves as a final reminder to parties subject to an APO of their responsibility concerning the return or
destruction of proprietary information disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3), which continues to govern
business proprietary information in this segment of the proceeding. Timely written notification of the return or destruction
of APO materials, or conversion to judicial protective order, is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations
and terms of an APO is a violation which is subject to sanction.

Notification to Interested Parties

This five-year (sunset) review and this notice are in accordance with sections 751(c) and 751(d)(2) of the Act and published
in accordance with section 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.218(f)(4).

Dated: March 10, 2026. Christopher Abbott, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant
Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance. [FR Doc. 2026-05000 Filed 3-13-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P

Footnotes

(1) See Certain Tow Behind Lawn Groomers and Certain Parts Thereof from the People's Republic of China: Antidumping Duty Order, 74 FR 38395 (August 3, 2009) (Order).

(2) See Certain Tow-Behind Lawn Groomers and Parts Thereof From China; Institution of a Five-Year Review, 90 FR 28780 (July 1, 2025).

(3) See Initiation of Five-Year (Sunset) Reviews, 90 FR 28722 (July 1, 2025).

(4) See Tow-Behind Lawn Groomers and Certain Parts Thereof from the People's Republic of China: Final Results of the Expedited
Third Sunset Review of the Antidumping Duty Order, 91 FR 675 (January 8, 2026).

(5) See Certain Tow-Behind Lawn Groomers and Parts Thereof from China; Determination, 91 FR 11562 (March 10, 2026) (ITC Final Determination).

(6) Effective January 27, 2022, HTSUS code 8479.89.9496 was replaced by 8479.89.9596.

(7) See ITC Final Determination.

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