Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73not60
§1463 Mailing Indecent Matter on Wrappers or Envelopes
Title 18 › Part I— CRIMES › Chapter 71— OBSCENITY › § 1463
Summary
Mail is not allowed if the outside of the envelope, wrapper, or a postal card shows indecent, lewd, lascivious, or obscene words, pictures, or markings. Those items cannot be sent or delivered by the mail and the Postal Service will remove them under its rules. Anyone who knowingly sends such mail, or knowingly takes it out of the mail to help spread or dispose of it, can be fined under federal law or put in prison for up to five years, or both.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §1463
Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
All matter otherwise mailable by law, upon the envelope or outside cover or wrapper of which, and all postal cards upon which, any delineations, epithets, terms, or language of an indecent, lewd, lascivious, or obscene character are written or printed or otherwise impressed or apparent, are nonmailable matter, and shall not be conveyed in the mails nor delivered from any post office nor by any letter carrier, and shall be withdrawn from the mails under such regulations as the Postal Service shall prescribe. Whoever knowingly deposits for mailing or delivery, anything declared by this section to be nonmailable matter, or knowingly takes the same from the mails for the purpose of circulating or disposing of or aiding in the circulation or disposition of the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed. § 335 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 212, 35 Stat. 1129). Said section 335 of title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., was incorporated in this section and section 1718 of this title. Reference to persons causing or procuring was omitted as unnecessary in view of definition of “principal” in section 2 of this title. Minor changes were made in phraseology.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000” in last par. 1970—Pub. L. 91–375 substituted “Postal Service” for “Postmaster General”.
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.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 1463
Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60