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Title 50, War and National DefenseRelease 119-110

§3813 Notice of Requirements of This Chapter; Voluntary Enlistments Unaffected

Title 50 › CHAPTER 49 — MILITARY SELECTIVE SERVICE › § 3813

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

When the President publishes a proclamation or public notice setting a time for registration under section 3802, everyone is treated as having been notified. Anyone who is registered must keep their local board up to date with their current address and any changes in status, following rules the President sets. If one part of the chapter is found invalid, the rest still applies. Existing laws that allow voluntary enlistment or reenlistment stay in place (except as provided in section 3803(c)), but a person with an order to report for induction cannot be enlisted unless the Director and the Secretary of Defense allow it. If Congress or the President says the national interest is imperiled, the President may suspend voluntary enlistment or reenlistment as needed. To help with recruiting, the Director must give the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of Homeland Security, on request, the full names, email addresses (if available), dates of birth, phone numbers (if available), and mailing addresses of people registered under this Act. Those officials may use that information only for recruiting.

Full Legal Text

Title 50, §3813

War and National Defense, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Deeming of notice upon publication
Every person shall be deemed to have notice of the requirements of this chapter upon publication by the President of a proclamation or other public notice fixing a time for any registration under section 3802 of this title.
(b)Duty to inform local board of current address and changes in status
It shall be the duty of every registrant to keep his local board informed as to his current address and changes in status as required by such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the President.
(c)Separability of provisions
If any provision of this chapter, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of the chapter, and the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected thereby.
(d)Voluntary enlistments or reenlistments; absence of affect
Except as provided in section 3803(c) of this title, nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to repeal, amend, or suspend the laws now in force authorizing voluntary enlistment or reenlistment in the Armed Forces of the United States, including the reserve components thereof, except that no person shall be accepted for enlistment after he has been issued an order to report for induction unless authorized by the Director and the Secretary of Defense and except that, whenever the Congress or the President has declared that the national interest is imperiled, voluntary enlistment or reenlistment in such forces, and their reserve components, may be suspended by the President to such extent as he may deem necessary in the interest of national defense.
(e)Furnishing of names and addresses to Secretary of Defense or Secretary of Homeland Security
In order to assist the Armed Forces in recruiting individuals for voluntary service in the Armed Forces, the Director shall, upon the request of the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of Homeland Security, furnish to the Secretary the full names, email addresses (if available), dates of birth, phone numbers (if available), and mailing addresses of individuals registered under this Act. Full names, email addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, and mailing addresses furnished pursuant to the preceding sentence may be used by the Secretary of Defense or Secretary of Homeland Security only for recruiting purposes.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Amendment of Subsection (a)Pub. L. 119–60, div. A, title V, § 535(b)(5), (c), Dec. 18, 2025, 139 Stat. 872, provided that, effective one year after Dec. 18, 2025, subsection (a) of this section is amended by striking “upon publication by the President of a proclamation or other public notice fixing a time for any registration under section 3802 of this title”. See 2025 Amendment note below.

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a), (c), and (d), was in the original “this title”, meaning title I of act
June 24, 1948, ch. 625, 62 Stat. 604, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of title I to the Code, see Tables. This Act, referred to in subsec. (e), is act
June 24, 1948, ch. 625, 62 Stat. 604, known as the Military Selective Service Act. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

References in Text

note set out under section 3801 of this title and Tables. Codification Section was formerly classified to section 465 of the former Appendix to this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Amendments

2025—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 119–60 struck out “upon publication by the President of a proclamation or other public notice fixing a time for any registration under section 3802 of this title” after “this chapter”. 2024—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 118–159 substituted “the full names, email addresses (if available), dates of birth, phone numbers (if available), and mailing addresses” for “the names and addresses” and “Full names, email addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, and mailing addresses furnished” for “Names and addresses furnished”. 2002—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 107–296 substituted “of Homeland Security” for “of Transportation” in two places. 1981—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 97–86 added subsec. (e). 1971—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 92–129 inserted provision empowering the Director and the Secretary of Defense to authorize voluntary enlistments and reenlistments in the Armed Forces after a person has been issued an order to report for induction and struck out reference to section 3803(g) of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2025 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 119–60 effective one year after Dec. 18, 2025, see section 535(c) of Pub. L. 119–60, set out as an

Effective Date

of Repeal note under section 3802 of this title.

Effective Date

of 2024 Amendment Pub. L. 118–159, div. A, title V, § 532(b), Dec. 23, 2024, 138 Stat. 1887, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this section [amending this section] shall take effect 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 23, 2024].”

Effective Date

of 2002 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 107–296 effective on the date of transfer of the Coast Guard to the Department of Homeland Security, see section 1704(g) of Pub. L. 107–296, set out as a note under section 101 of Title 10, Armed Forces.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

50 U.S.C. § 3813

Title 50, War and National Defense

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110