Title 5, Government Organization and EmployeesRelease 119-102
§2103 The Excepted Service
Title 5 › PART III — EMPLOYEES › Subpart A — General Provisions › CHAPTER 21 — DEFINITIONS › § 2103
Summary
Says the "excepted service" is the set of federal civil service jobs that are not in the competitive service and not in the Senior Executive Service. It also says that when other laws talk about "unclassified civil service" or "unclassified service," they mean the same thing as "excepted service."
Full Legal Text
Title 5, §2103
Government Organization and Employees, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)For the purpose of this title, the “excepted service” consists of those civil service positions which are not in the competitive service or the Senior Executive Service.
(b)As used in other Acts of Congress, “unclassified civil service” or “unclassified service” means the “excepted service”.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
The section is supplied for convenience. The “excepted service” has come to mean all employees not in the competitive service, for whatever reason.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1978—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 95–454 inserted reference to Senior Executive Service.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1978 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 95–454 effective 9 months after Oct. 13, 1978, and congressional review of provisions of sections 401 through 412 of Pub. L. 95–454, see section 415 of Pub. L. 95–454, set out as an
Effective Date
note under section 3131 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
5 U.S.C. § 2103
Title 5, Government Organization and Employees
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102