A321 captain reported that a flight attendant advised of a passenger loading limitation affecting we...

Narrative:

Light load on flight. Briefing flight attendant on flight particulars; she mentions she has to keep first four rows of coach empty due to a weight & balance problem. She says an agent told her this. [This is the] first I; as captain; here of this. There is nothing on any of paperwork indicating this; no message from dispatch; nothing from loads. How can I as captain sign a flight release signifying I am complying with all regulations for this flight when there is a restriction I don't know about? [Multiple] times this has happened to me. A simple header on the [takeoff performance data] showing a weight restriction would solve the problem. This event occurred because the procedures in the weight&balance department don't allow the load agent to indicate a balance problem on the [takeoff performance data]. This needs to be changed. If there is a restriction on the airplane from the weight & balance department; the captain needs to know about it before he/she signs the flight release; otherwise we are violating regulations.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A321 Captain reported that a Flight Attendant advised of a passenger loading limitation affecting weight and balance which the Captain was not aware of and which was not noted on the takeoff performance data.

Narrative: Light load on flight. Briefing Flight Attendant on flight particulars; she mentions she has to keep first four rows of coach empty due to a weight & balance problem. She says an Agent told her this. [This is the] first I; as Captain; here of this. There is nothing on any of paperwork indicating this; no message from dispatch; nothing from Loads. How can I as Captain sign a flight release signifying I am complying with all regulations for this flight when there is a restriction I don't know about? [Multiple] times this has happened to me. A simple header on the [takeoff performance data] showing a weight restriction would solve the problem. This event occurred because the procedures in the weight&balance department don't allow the Load Agent to indicate a balance problem on the [takeoff performance data]. This needs to be changed. If there is a restriction on the airplane from the weight & balance department; the Captain needs to know about it before he/she signs the flight release; otherwise we are violating regulations.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	1444311
Time
Date	201704
Local Time Of Day	0001-0600
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	A321
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Parked
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Captain Pilot Flying
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Events
Anomaly	Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy Deviation - Procedural Weight And Balance

A321 captain reported that a flight attendant advised of a passenger loading limitation affecting weight and balance which the captain was not aware of and which was not noted on the takeoff performance data.