§601 Letters Carried Out of the Mail

Summary

Private carriers may carry a letter outside the postal system if the letter is in an envelope that has the correct postage paid with stamps or meter stamps, is properly addressed, is sealed so the contents can’t be removed without ruining the envelope, the sender cancels the stamps in ink, and the date of the letter or its sending/receipt is written on the envelope in ink. A letter may also be carried privately if the fee paid is at least 6 times the current 1st-ounce first-class rate, the letter weighs at least 12½ ounces, or the carriage fits rules the Postal Service set (including sections 310.1 and 320.2–320.8 of title 39 CFR as in effect on July 1, 2005). The Postal Regulatory Commission must create any rules needed to make this work.