Title 28 › PART VI — PARTICULAR PROCEEDINGS › CHAPTER 176 — FEDERAL DEBT COLLECTION PROCEDURE › SUBCHAPTER A — DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 3003
Sets reading rules for the chapter and says how it works with other laws. Words like "includes" or "including" do not limit meaning, "or" can mean one or more choices, and a singular word can also mean plural. It does not stop the U.S. from collecting taxes or tax-like amounts, collecting criminal fines or forfeitures, appointing a receiver, or enforcing security agreements. It also does not replace or change many other laws, such as bankruptcy, admiralty law, certain federal payment and garnishment rules, criminal time limits, set-off rights, courts’ powers to grant injunctions, impose sanctions, appoint receivers, or use contempt, or laws letting the U.S. recover property it owns. State laws that conflict are overridden. Federal civil procedure rules apply unless the chapter says otherwise.
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Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
28 U.S.C. § 3003
Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110