Lost & Found

Money from the sale of all lost and found items goes to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and into a general fund used to pay towards the U.S. national debt.

You may file a claim if you are injured or your property is lost or damaged during the screening process. Screening at certain airports is performed by private companies and not TSA.

To retrieve the item, you must be able to describe the item, when it was lost, the color of the item, or any information identifying the item, to ensure it is reunited with its rightful owner. 

Contact lost and found to locate items left at the security checkpoint. For items left elsewhere in the airport, please contact the airport authority.

TSA estimates that approximately 90,000 to 100,000 items are left behind at checkpoints each month. 

TSA works with the airport to reunite passengers with all lost or unclaimed personal property, including personal identification items such as drivers’ licenses and passports, left behind at a checkpoint. If the ID is not claimed within 30 days, it is destroyed.    

All weapons detected in carry-on bags are turned over to local law enforcement authorities.

TSA makes every effort to reunite passengers with items left behind at the airport checkpoint. Lost and found items retained by TSA for a minimum of thirty (30) days, and if not claimed, are either destroyed, turned over to a state agency for surplus property, or sold by TSA as excess property. The state may dispose of the items through sales, destruction, donations or charities. The state keeps any money from sales, not TSA. At a number of locations, lost and found items are turned over to the airport at the end of each day.

Unclaimed electronics will have its memory removed and destroyed (e.g. laptop hard drive) or be destroyed completely (e.g. items with non-removable memory) to protect personal data after the 30-day holding period.

Provide as much detail as possible including receipts, appraisals and flight information to avoid delays. Contact your airline for lost or missing baggage.

Please allow up to six months to fully investigate your claim. Claims that require investigation by law enforcement require additional processing time.

All claims are investigated thoroughly and the final decision to approve a claim rests with TSA. If your claim is approved, you will receive a letter and form to complete regarding settlement agreement and/or payment methods. You can check the status of your claim at any time.