§1696 Private express for letters and packets

Summary

Running a private delivery service that regularly carries letters or packets along a post route or between places where the mail normally goes is illegal. People who do this can be fined up to $500, jailed up to six months, or both. You may still bring properly stamped mail to the nearest post office or authorized mailbox. Sending letters through an unlawful private carrier is also fined. Private people may carry mail for free or hire a one-time messenger, but if a messenger carries more than twenty-five items, the rules in section 601 of title 39 must be followed for each piece.