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Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73

§1717 Letters and writings as nonmailable

Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 83— - POSTAL SERVICE › § 1717

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Makes certain items nonmailable: anything that breaks the listed federal criminal laws (sections 499, 506, 793, 794, 915, 954, 956, 957, 960, 964, 1017, 1542, 1543, 1544, 2388) or that urges treason, insurrection, or forcible resistance to U.S. laws cannot be sent through the mail or delivered by the Postal Service or its carriers. Anyone who sends or tries to send such material by mail or the Postal Service can be fined, imprisoned for up to 10 years, or both.

Full Legal Text

Title 18, §1717

Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Every letter, writing, circular, postal card, picture, print, engraving, photograph, newspaper, pamphlet, book, or other publication, matter or thing, in violation of section 499, 506, 793, 794, 915, 954, 956, 957, 960, 964, 1017, 1542, 1543, 1544 or 2388 of this title or which contains any matter advocating or urging treason, insurrection, or forcible resistance to any law of the United States is nonmailable and shall not be conveyed in the mails or delivered from any post office or by any letter carrier.
(b)Whoever uses or attempts to use the mails or Postal Service for the transmission of any matter declared by this section to be nonmailable, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years or both.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 343, 344, 345, 346 (June 15, 1917, ch. 30, title XII, §§ 1–3, title XIII, § 1, 40 Stat. 230, 231; Mar. 28, 1940, ch. 72, § 9, 54 Stat. 80). Section consolidates said section 343–345 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed. The provision as to opening letters was incorporated in paragraph (c). Venue provisions in said section 345 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., were omitted as covered by section 3237 of this title. Section 346 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., defining “United States” was omitted. It is incorporated, however, in section 5 of this title.

References in Text

to other sections do not include definitive sections. Only those susceptible of violation are cited. Mandatory punishment provision was rephrased in the alternative. Minor changes were made in arrangement, translation, and phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000”. 1990—Pub. L. 101–647 struck out “; opening letters” after “nonmailable” in section catchline. 1970—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 91–375 struck out “of the United States” after “Postal Service”. 1960—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 86–682 struck out subsec. (c) which related to the opening of letters.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1970 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 91–375 effective within 1 year after Aug. 12, 1970, on date established therefor by Board of Governors of United States Postal Service and published by it in Federal Register, see section 15(a) of Pub. L. 91–375, set out as an

Effective Date

note preceding section 101 of Title 39, Postal Service.

Effective Date

of 1960 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 86–682 effective Sept. 1, 1960, see section 11 of Pub. L. 86–682, Sept. 2, 1960, 74 Stat. 708.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

18 U.S.C. § 1717

Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73