Title 31Money and FinanceRelease 119-73

§5153 Counterfeit currency

Title 31 › Subtitle SUBTITLE IV— - MONEY › Chapter CHAPTER 51— - COINS AND CURRENCY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER V— - MISCELLANEOUS › § 5153

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Government pay officers and national bank officers must mark any fake banknote brought to them so it shows the note is counterfeit, altered, or worthless. If an officer wrongfully marks a real U.S. bill (for example, a Federal Reserve or national bank note), they must pay its face value when it is presented to them.

Full Legal Text

Title 31, §5153

Money and Finance — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Disbursing officials of the United States Government and officers of national banks shall stamp or mark the word “counterfeit”, “altered”, or “worthless” on counterfeit notes intended to circulate as currency that are presented to them. An official or officer wrongfully stamping or marking an item of genuine United States currency (including a Federal reserve note or a circulating note of Federal reserve banks and national banks) shall redeem the currency at face value when presented.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 515331:424.June 30, 1876, ch. 156, § 5, 19 Stat. 64. The words “Disbursing officials” are substituted for “officers charged with the receipt or disbursement of public moneys” for consistency in the revised title and other titles of the United States Code. The word “mark” is substituted for “write in plain letters” to eliminate unnecessary words. The words “counterfeit notes intended to circulate as currency” are substituted for “all fraudulent notes issued in the form of, and intended to circulate as money” for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the Code. The last sentence is substituted for the words following the semicolon in 31:424 for clarity and to reflect the legislative history of the derivative source. See 4 Cong. Rec. 2225–2228, 3148. In that sentence, the words “United States currency (including a Federal reserve note or a circulating note of Federal reserve banks and national banks)” are substituted for “any genuine note of the United States, or of the national banks” for consistency with section 5103 of the revised title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

31 U.S.C. § 5153

Title 31Money and Finance

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73